An Understanding
by thesilverhyena
Summary: Blake McCormick takes Thomas Hewitt with her to Crystal Lake to unravel the mystery of what happened to her Guardian Angels. Why did they abandon their home? (It wasn't by choice!) A cult with deep roots, a scheming dream demon, an ancient grimoire that was never meant for the world of the living, and a demon killer with a wit as sharp as his own chainsaw. What could go wrong?
1. New Beginnings

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Another Note, I'm not "Following Time lines". Personally, I like the idea of a Horror "shared-verse", where these sorts of things are going on at the same time. Ft13th, NoES, TCM, Evil Dead/Army of Darkness, Halloween, Hellraiser, etc. and the list goes on, but I'm sure you get my point.

**Chapter 1: New Beginnings **

-9 Years Ago-

The small, sleepy town of Crystal Lake had come alive once more with the breath of Summer. Warm breezes, longer days, and travelers from out of state beating new life into the town. While a good many denizens knew they would never see these fresh, bright young faces ever again, these poor, hapless fools helped keep the commerce alive. However, the upcoming Summer served as a painful reminder of the year prior for one boy.

Mias' Grocers, a charming little grocery store in the heart of town. A usual stop travelers made while on their way to the lake. The blonde boy stalking dry goods on an empty shelf in front of him suddenly dropped the boxes of pasta he'd been holding and grasped at his right shoulder. Grimacing through the sudden pain in his shoulder, that horrible memory passed through his mind once more.

_She'd rejected him! His crush rejected him for that-that monster! That undead abomination! Lisa... she stood there and watched while that behemoth mauled him; broke his arm and destroyed his shoulder. As if that wasn't enough, there was a huge, ugly scar across his forehead... a reminder every time he looked in the mirror of the day Jason Voorhees nearly took his life._

Had Sheriff Hoffman not showed up when he did, Cody would have been dead. Yet... the sheriff... let the beast go. Let that monster claim the girl he loved. They were both still living freely on the camp grounds, news of their kills eventually making the papers; heavily edited and made out as "accidents". But Cody Mias... he knew the truth, yet he was forbidden to speak it. His injuries never healed properly, his right arm and shoulder would never be the same again, and a growing need for stronger and stronger pain medication was causing a severe strain on his family.

Oh, they knew what had happened, but like the Sheriff, they never spoke of it nor allowed him too. His mother kept an annoyingly close watch on him after she'd caught him trying to post an "anonymous warning" online to avoid Camp Crystal Lake, as Jason was no mere "Urban Legend". He'd considered moving out of this backwoods hick town, but a lack of employment options, his medical issues, and a strong desire to finish his schooling held him here.

"Cody, what was-oh no... again?" asked the tall, middle-aged, and dirty blonde woman dressed in a nice blouse with a name tag that read; "Delia" "Manager".

Struggling to hide his tears from his mother, Cody nodded before standing up and trying to play it off, "I-it's been worse... j-just-ah!" he winced, while straightening out his apron.

Mrs. Mias sighed heavily; her beautiful boy... he just hadn't been the same after the "accident". That curious light had left his eyes that fateful day and he seemed to just run on momentum. He used to happily engage with customers and try to make new friends... now he was deadpan, dry, to the point, and when he wasn't battling severe pain he'd thrown himself into his studies... which had also meant more debt then he'd likely be able to repay.

"Okay, sweetie. Just don't overdo it... w-we can't really afford another medical bill." Mrs. Mias said, softly as she put her hand on Cody's left shoulder.

Before she could offer further encouragement, the chime at the front of the store went off, indicating that there were customers in need of service.

"Try to get this cleaned up and help out those customers. We'll talk about what we can do later tonight."

"Mom, I have school after my shift."

Cody couldn't help but feel his heart drop when his mother cast him a sad and worried glance before returning to the front of the store. She'd originally agreed to help finance his school, since a mere stock boy's earnings barely made a dent in his classes or piling medical costs. However, the financial strain was becoming too much and his mother had mentioned that she wouldn't be able to help with school anymore and keep a roof over their heads.

"I-it's not fair!" Cody hissed to himself, as his face went red.

Tears threatened to flow once more as the stress built up. It was a year to the date this all went down. And while Jason Voorhees got to wander about the campgrounds freely, with the girl Cody loved... he was left broken... broken body, soul crushed, with a mountain of debt that would more than likely make the only other reason he had at the moment for living null and void.

"They know what he is... what he's done! And..."

"And you're not allowed to speak of it?" answered an unfamiliar voice from behind the stock boy.

Holding back a sniffle, Cody turned around with a slight jump. His eyes were red, but he held his composure as best he could. A man stood before him, about Cody's age, early twenties, wearing a nice dress shirt and slacks. Cody couldn't help but find it odd that a man only about his age was already growing white hair, however he quickly brushed it off. Accompanying the man was a little girl, possibly only around six or seven... maybe a daughter? No, niece perhaps or even a very young sister. However, there was something spooky about that little girl; something predatory; he could see it in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, sir... I-I was... um..." Cody fumbled.

"It's quite alright, Cody." said the mysterious man, with a tone smooth as glass.

At first, the boy's eyes widened, "How do you know my name?"

"It's on your name tag, mortal." the young girl pointed out, in a deadpan tone before glancing up to the man.

"Miranda... manners."

"Sorry, Lucian..." she pouted, pointing her gaze to the floor.

As the man, Lucian, scolded the young girl, Cody gazed at the pair quizzically, wondering if he should tell his parents about these strange customers. They were quickly beginning to make him uncomfortable.

"Why? Why would you go to them for help? They didn't seem to offer much assistance with that monstrosity in the old camp!" Lucian whispered in a low, venomous tone as he leaned in close.

He and the girl, Miranda, glanced down both ends of the aisle, making sure they were alone. For a brief moment, Cody considered shouting for someone... yet found himself intrigued. Was this... was this another like-minded soul?! What did he know about Jason Voorhees? Maybe he'd finally get some solid information.

"W-what d-do you know about it?" Cody whispered, glancing toward the door when he heard the chime go off and a group of loud, giggling teens walked inside and grabbed a shopping basket.

"Only that he robbed me of something very precious... just as he did to you." Lucian answered back, pausing for a moment.

Now, Cody wasn't sure if it was just a trick of the light or not, but he could have sworn that Lucian had yellow or amber eyes, if only for a second.

"Your shoulder's broken... Jason did it to you. Jason killed our mommy and daddy..." Miranda explained, as she examined Cody coldly.

"He stole the woman you wanted, didn't he? Lisa... she chose that beast over you. He did that to you!" Lucian whispered, slowly beginning to circle Cody, "And now... the one good thing left in your life is being threatened. You're studying medicine, aren't you? You want to find a way to fix the damage that's been done? Am I wrong?"

How did he know this? It was spooky, as though this man could somehow hear his thoughts. Cody was terrified; maybe this man somehow got into his personal records? Maybe he somehow read up on him? Reading minds... that was only in movies and comic books... right? Before he could say anything, Lucian spoke again.

"The sheriff threatened you to keep quiet. But my family... we know the truth about what goes on here. You shot the beast in the chest, didn't you? And it didn't stop him from doing that to you..." Lucian continued, gesturing to Cody's right arm and the scar across his forehead.

How did he know that?! Cody never told anyone, not even his parents. Only Sheriff Hoffman knew, and he wasn't exactly the talkative sort. Before he could press further, loud giggling and shouting from the group of teens that came in earlier halted their conversation. Lucian and Miranda both leveled glares at the unwanted visitors, causing the small group to rethink their shopping list.

"Mortals... they'll be dead by nightfall." Miranda scoffed, with a hint of sickening glee in her voice.

"S-she keeps calling... s-she called me mortal, then them-what are you two?" Cody questioned, trying to back away.

"We are something greater... and I sense potential in you, Cody... so much potential. It'd be a pity to waste..." Lucian stated, sympathetically, "You and I can help each other."

"W-what... what help would I be?" Cody asked, slowly putting away the earlier mess he'd created by accident.

A gimpy cripple in debt? There wasn't exactly much prospect in that.

"You're studying to become a doctor... I could use a man with those talents in my organization. We both want to see the same thing... to see Jason either dead or in a cage!" the mysterious man flicked a business card out of his hand, seemingly out of thin air, "All you have to do is join, and you can consider all your debts, past, present, and future paid in full! Together, we can unlock powers that you'd only ever dreamed of having!"

Cautiously, Cody took the card from Lucian's hand. It was a simple black business card that only had a phone number on the front. He wasn't sure what to make of all this. Normally, he'd have called out for someone to help get rid of these weirdos. However, the temptation was there. All debts... paid! It sounded too good to be true, a complete scam... but what if Lucian was telling the truth? This could be his big chance.

Just by reading the boy's face, Lucian could see the pure desperation in Cody's eyes. Cody wanted revenge, and no one in this town was going to help him get it. Here, this stranger was offering it to him on a silver platter. At this point, what was there to loose?

"Can you show us to the meat department?" Miranda asked, with a bit of a giggle.

"Oh, that's Aisle 29, right this way."

Cody pocketed the card and lead the way. However, he missed the devilish grin forming on Lucian's face. He knew he had the boy ensnared. A year ago, Cody would have screamed, he would have called to have the lunatic barred from the store. Now, he was considering the generous offer. Persuasion and charisma could be just as deadly as any machete or ax.

_'He'sssssss... going to sssssssay yesssssssssss... he'sssssssss going to join.'_

"Yes my friends... I know." Lucian whispered, under his breath.

-Camp Crystal Lake Research Facility, Present Day-

It had been a long time coming... but about five years ago, after careful preparation and training, Cody was finally granted the revenge he craved... and more. Sacrifices had been made... many, many sacrifices. But now he was here, a government facility constructed in secret on the borders of Camp Crystal Lake... a place that officially didn't exist. Cold, reinforced steel walls, reflective metal floors, lights that ranged from too dull to too bright, a lack of windows to the outside world, and the steady glow of computer monitors was a vast change from the quaint, small town feel Cody had grown up in. But that was a lifetime ago... that boy didn't exist anymore!

The Soldiers of Eternal Damnation kept their word; not only was Cody no longer in financial debt, he had his degree... and he'd had his revenge to savor for five years straight and planned to milk it for all it was worth. While his right arm and shoulder still didn't work right on their own, he'd surpassed the physical needs of his mortal body but had become quite adept at hiding it from his coworkers... the ones that didn't matter, anyways. Mortals, as Lucian referred to them. A name reserved for those not associated with the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation.

Cody turned from the set of three monitors on the metal table in front of him in his swivel chair, smirking confidently at the sight in his lab. There was a hulking figure, bound in chains and a heavily reinforced straitjacket. His hockey-masked face was tilted to one side, his functioning eye fighting to stay open. Several tubes and needles stuck from the undead beast's body, some pumping liquids in, others pumping dark green, black, and grey-red fluids out. Beside Jason was a much smaller female, covered in scars with long, messy brown hair securely strapped down on a sturdy metal table. A slender tube attached to a mechanical pump had been inserted into her arm, slowly transferring blood from Jason's body into hers. The girl's face had a grimace of pain, however, when her light green eyes flashed open, they narrowed at Cody with upmost hatred.

"I'm sure you both missed me while I was gone for a few days," Cody mentioned, patting the medium sized satchel neatly resting by the computer monitors before noting the seething fury in Lisa's gaze, "What? My dear, sweet Lisa, are you still mad that I chopped his head off last month? Come now, I insisted they sew it back on before giving him back you... they wanted to give you back just the head... or just the body. One or the other, I can't remember. Either way, Rowan would have none of it."

A silent hiss and what Cody had learned to read as "go fuck yourself" left Lisa's mouth. While she may not have had a voice, she had no trouble expressing her emotions. At first she'd been thrilled when Jason slaughtered the lead doctor that started all of this. Then Rowan took over the operation, but once she'd grown tired of the constant "tests" and "experiments" she just wanted to find a way to terminate the both of them completely. But the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation had other plans. And Cody... Cody Mias of all people... he was the one pulling all of the strings.

Lisa knew Cody was doing these transfusions "off the books". They were happening more and more frequently, yet unlike others before him that had tried to sneak in "extracurricular" studies and tests after dark, Cody got away Scott free time and time again. After the first successful infusion, he was determined to make Lisa more like Jason in order to study their regeneration. Their strength. Stamina. How the rate of regeneration differed. (Lisa was slower to heal than Jason, but her rates of healing were getting faster and faster with each infusion of Jason's blood and DNA.) How could Lisa survive while other subjects rotted from the inside out? If it could be done successfully once... it could be done again. Rowan, the fool... she wanted to kill the goose while it laid it's golden eggs!

"I love her too, you know... I have since I first saw her." Cody hissed, glaring at Jason, "But you both need to pay for what you've done... for what you've taken. Not just from me... but from others, as well."

A low growl escaped Jason's throat, but when Cody raised his left hand, the beast could feel the chains binding him began to shake slightly, cinching tighter until the undead behemoth backed down. There was no denying the fear and anger within Jason; he'd wanted nothing more then to tear that boy apart long ago. Then Rowan introduced him as a new intern. Now, Cody was second only to Rowan in charge of the two of them. He'd changed, drastically. Lisa and Jason both knew that it was far more than revenge for just him and him alone. They knew the symbols; he wore one around his neck, carefully concealed. There were several of them, in fact, working in this facility. All of them angry about the loss of their leader, Amelia Rake. Lisa knew their cult's roots spread deep, but now how deep was clear to her and Jason. Now that it was too late.

"Rowan and the others, they don't believe you, do they? Oh... Gee... I wonder why?" Cody mocked, checking the vital signs on the monitors, "Then again... maybe if someone didn't try to kill the new guy with a ballpoint pen... they'd let you communicate again... Lisa?"

Lisa glowered, silently, but with the metal bindings pinning her to the table, she wasn't going anywhere. Sadly, she glanced up at Jason. She knew he had been scared of Cody before... scared for other reasons; he'd threatened to take Lisa away from him long ago. But now he had a new reason to be afraid of the boy. One Cody was very practiced at concealing from others.

A sharp 'beep' and a hydraulic hiss of the lab door opening caught Cody's attention. Reflexively, the doctor put his hand over the satchel on his desk; whatever was in there, he was jealously possessive of it. A man, dressed in a lab coat and slacks similar to what Cody wore, stepped inside and closed the door. He regarded Jason and Lisa, only for a moment as though seeing them in this state was nothing new to him, before turning to Cody and bowing his head slightly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir. But I thought I'd let you know," the man began, tapping on the screen of his tablet, "Lord Lucian Rake's stream has started... they finally cornered the little bitch after all this time! Apparently she was hiding in Bum Fuck Nowhere Texas with a family of backwoods cannibals."

"Ah yes... Lucian was dead set on finding her. It's been several years, Cornell." Cody mused, taking the tablet as it was handed to him.

The other man, Cornell, stayed to watch, making small talk while gesturing to to Jason and Lisa every now and again. If Jason's blood wasn't cold before, it was now, and the shift in his vital signs on display did not go unnoticed by Cody. He and his fellow cultist muttered inaudibly with each other some more before glancing at Jason.

"With the murders they've committed, I didn't think a live snuff stream would set either one of them off." Cornell scoffed, "Maybe some jealousy, sure... since they're not the ones doing the killing..."

"It's different when it's someone you actually care about getting snuffed," Cody explained, coldly, casting a smile towards his two captives, "While I don't personally care for killing myself nor do I hold any prejudice against this poor young lady... I want to support my mentor. I owe everything I have to him. And don't you two worry, Blake's not a little child anymore... and she's caused a lot of problems for Lucian, lately."

Upon hearing that name, Jason grunted and thrashed against his bonds. For too long, that boy had been torturing them, now he was dragging Blake into this too?! Sweet, innocent Blake? When did this happen? They hadn't heard anything about her since they'd been imprisoned in this dreadful place. Lisa cast a pained and frightened glance up at her mate; the one solace she had was that they never saw Blake, or her father for that matter, in this place. They hadn't been captured... but-but what were they doing in Texas of all places?

"Quiet, please..." Cody warned, his voice taking a hard edge as he leveled a glare to Jason, his weaker right hand tightening it's grip on the satchel.

"Sir... I wanted to ask... what's in there?" Cornell asked.

"Mine." Cody answered, flatly.

Once again, Jason felt the bindings around his neck tightening, even though no one was close enough to do so. For a brief moment, Lisa had felt her breath leave her as her airway inexplicably closed. (While she knew it wouldn't kill her, not anymore, it didn't stop it from hurting like Hell.) There was nothing either of them could do, even if they weren't in captivity. After all these years, those crazy cultists finally caught up with the one person they'd considered their friend and they were helpless to do anything about it.

While it was difficult to make out through the blur in his vision caused by the tranquilizers constantly being pumped into his system, Jason could still hear what was going on. He could hear the people shouting after the unmistakable 'BANG' of a shotgun went off and a man he didn't recognize calling Blake out. Cody winced for a moment, looking away from the screen as he closed his eyes.

"I-I did not need to see that..."

"Sir, you've killed before... come on... that was wicked!" Cornell mentioned, doing what appeared to be a miming act of someone blowing off their own head with a shotgun.

Cody didn't seem to share in his fellow cultist's revelry. In fact, he never did like the large amount of murders that the cult committed; he only turned a blind eye because things like this paid for him to be where he was now. He owed Lucian his loyalty... and luckily, Cody only had to commit one murder of his own thus far... and he preferred to keep it that way.

Lisa craned her neck, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of anything. Hearing the screams, all of the noise... the terrible noise... and Blake's voice through it all. It had been a while, but she'd recognize that voice anywhere. She and Jason both strained, trying to catch a view, try to put the pieces of this screaming puzzle together. They could hear what sounded like a dog barking and snarling; Good! Blake still had her dogs to protect her, however it was difficult to understand what was going on in a half-sedated state while Cody and Cornell made small talk over the livestream.

"Whoa! Shit... that guy is just about as big as Jason! And twice as ugly!" Cornell remarked, over the noise of a chainsaw, casting a glance towards the restrained behemoth, "I guess this is why you shouldn't fuck your cousins."

Cody, however, seemed to be gazing hard at the tablet screen, shaking his head and muttering, "Lucian... what are you doing?! You had her... what are you-!?"

Without much warning, the feed suddenly cut off, leaving both of them staring at a blank screen and wondering what was happening. Cody sighed in annoyance, handing the tablet back to his coworker before returning to checking the vital stats of his two test subjects.

"Okay, you gotta admit, the giant hillbilly with the chainsaw was pretty damn nasty." Cornell muttered, trying to see if he could get the livestream back up, "Did you see what was on his face?!"

"It was hard to miss..." Cody answered, dryly, taking another quizzical look at Jason, "And he was trying to take our Lord and Master's head off with that bloody chainsaw... so pick your next words carefully."

At least Jason just wore that battle-scarred hockey mask to hide his features... that other massive brute... there was no mistaking what was covering his... Another face! Skinned and flayed then crudely stitched together. Human skin! Honestly, where did Lucian find these people?!

"Okay, okay... chill... but Miranda did mention that they were backwoods Texas cannibals..." Cornell shrugged, his voice growing small.

"I did tell Lucian that a diet of human flesh can mess with the brain... but cannibalism for him is like smoking or drinking for other people... though he doesn't consider himself human so I'm not sure that if it's really cannibalism when he eats long pig or not." Cody casually mentioned.

Meanwhile, Jason and Lisa remained still, trying to retain any valuable scrap of information they managed to hear. Why was Blake with a pack of cannibals? Sure, her father really got into the hardcore survivalist stuff, but even he wouldn't condone such a thing, neither would Blake for that matter. Especially not Blake! She knew Jason and Lisa killed, and as she got older, she had expressed her dislike of them killing but in the end, understood why they did what they did. After so many years... hearing her voice again... then the stream cutting off... now not knowing what was going on was the worst possible torture that could have happened to either of them. All they knew was that their friend was under attack and there was nothing either of them could do!

"We taught Blake well... she'll be okay." Lisa mouthed to Jason, tears streaming down her cheeks as she attempted to work herself out of her bindings.

"Awwwww... do the urban legends of Crystal Lake need tissues and a hug?" Cornell taunted, in a mock baby voice while mimicking the action of wiping a tear from his eye.

"That's enough." Cody sighed, standing up from his chair.

An electronic feminine voice from the computer began the repeat 'Transfusion Complete' while a notice popped up on one of the monitors. Cody closed down his work station, pocketing a thumb drive before slinging his satchel over his shoulder. He took a long, wanting look at Lisa, not even realizing in that moment he was holding his breath. Jason growled deep in his throat, shifting in his restraints but not making any sudden moves.

"Sir, you might want to put those two back, Rowan's due in a few hours," mentioned Cornell, "we don't need that bitch meddling in our affairs... any way to arrange a... well, you know?" he questioned, flashing a smirk at the two captives.

It wouldn't be a first if Jason and Lisa were to "escape" their holding cell or the lab and kill someone, they'd just need some direction to kill the right person. However, annoying as it was, Rowan was still a useful source of information... she just didn't know it.

"I'm sure that the sawdust on the bottom of their cage has been changed by now. See about getting some people in here to move Jason but keep it quiet." Cody requested, in a low whisper.

The last thing he needed was to be questioned incessantly. Again. He'd managed to squirm and B.S. his way out of sticky situations before, but it was better to just avoid said sticky situations. While waiting for his assistants, Cody lightly ran his hand over Lisa's face, brushing her messy hair out of her eyes. Thrashing and spitting, the silent woman rejected the kind gesture, feeling absolutely violated by her captor's touch. She was Jason's good girl... she would only EVER belong to Jason! Cody delighted in seeing Jason's chest heaving with every breath, seeing the hatred and fear in his functioning eye.

"You still love that abomination? I could have given you a good life. I'd have been a loving husband... perhaps even a father to your children... we could have had children by now, you know," Cody mused, sadly, "You'd have been such a beautiful mother and wife..."

_'Get AWAY from her!' _Jason seethed, internally, momentarily forgetting his fear as he strained against the straitjacket holding him captive.

"But I can still help you, Lisa... I already have. Look at you... look what I've made you. Perhaps... if I find a way to fix this," Cody gestured to his gimpy arm, for the moment ignoring Jason's protests, "I could fix this..." he added, lightly running his fingers across the prominent scar on the woman's throat.

Lashing as much as her bonds would allow, Lisa spat in Cody's face, thus giving him a clear answer. The blonde man recoiled a bit, a look of disgust lining his features as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his lab coat, "Very well... we can go another five years like this. Ten? Twenty? However long it takes!"

He finally cast a glare at Jason, catching sight that the metal rings holding the chains on the beast were beginning to strain. At once, the massive brute began to feel his vitality drain as more sedatives were inexplicably pumped into his system at a faster rate, "There's no fixing you, Jason! But don't you worry... I have other plans for the likes of you." Cody hissed, once again feeling for the contents of his messenger bag.

The two of them stared each other down, though with the fast-acting tranquilizer coursing throughout his system, Jason's gaze dropped first. Through the blurry vision, the massive brute could make out the smug posture Cody had taken... it was probably a good thing he couldn't make out the smirk all that clearly.

"Sir! The livestream! It's back!" Cornell announced, quite suddenly.

Lisa let out a quiet gasp, turning her head to try and see what was going on as the other man brought the tablet back to Cody. The screen was very dark, however the sound was crystal clear. A man... the man she'd only been able to hear earlier, the one who was barking orders, they'd called him Lucian. From what Lisa could tell, he was on the ground, writhing in pain and screaming for 'them to come back to him'

"What?! L-Lucian?" Cody gasped, his eyes widening.

"It's a ploy, it's gotta be. Lucian wouldn't be defeated by an inbred country hick... no way." Cornell commented, though there was no hiding the worry in his posture.

"You-you all can see this man? Y-you know this man... this... this is your leader! The-the Lord o-of the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation, Lucian Rake. L-look at him! Look at him now!" Blake's voice screamed from the tablet.

Lisa couldn't actually see Blake, but it was likely that she was behind the camera.

"L-look at your g-great and proud leader now! I-I can only hope t-that the pain he will endure will be tenfold that of what the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation have inflicted upon others!"

A huge shape walked into frame, a man nearly as large as Jason... possibly bigger! He must have been the "chainsaw hillbilly" Cornell and Cody discussed earlier. Apparently... whoever that man was, he was protecting Blake!

"No... no, p-please no... h-have mercy, I-I beg you!" Lucian's voice squealed.

He didn't sound like the same man that Cody looked up to, admired. Lucian sounded afraid, lost... betrayed.

"Such a pathetic, whimpering little whelp... I thought t-that a soft, merciful, and gentle heart made me weak." snapped Blake's voice, "I wont kill you, Lucian Rake... b-but I'm not about to stop HIM from taking your filthy, miserable hide either!"

Nether Jason nor Lisa could recall a time they heard Blake's words fill with so much venom. It was almost scary... Just what had happened to that sweet little girl they rescued on that snowy night so many years ago? The man on the screen began to howl in terror as the brute on top of him roughly grabbed his face, as though he were inspecting it.

Cody's and Cornell's eyes were transfixed to the screen and all chatter had stopped. It was quite clear that this was not a ploy... Lucian was about-he was about to die!

"GAAAHHHHHH! To t-the Honored Mother, w-we pl-AAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH! howled Lucian.

"L-let it b-be known here and now," Blake's voice shouted, carrying over Lucian's agonized screams, "THIS will be the fate of ANY of your repulsive cult that comes near me or my family again!"

Cody couldn't believe what he was watching, but he was unable to tear his eyes away. Lisa, who had a clearer view of the screen than Jason, quickly figured out why. Roughly, the massive man kept Lucian pinned down with one hand, skillfully flaying skin from flesh with his blade. He was skinning Lucian ALIVE!

The screaming intensified when the beast of a man began to pull the loosened layer of skin right off Lucian's entire head, leaving the wretch alive, albeit in a state it wouldn't last for long. It was a horrifying sight, seeing the flesh and muscles, bulging eyes, and thick, sticky, congealed blood and other matter not meant to be exposed the the elements... and the intact piece of skin with icy white hair.

Even she nor Jason had never done anything quite like that... and Jason was rather creative when it came to killing. Just who was that other man? And what could he do to Blake or her father?!

"I-I h-hope you sick bastards saw everything!" Blake's voice screamed, seething with fury, "Whether his collection grows or not will be left up to you! But know this... I am his, as he is mine! Wherever I may be... Leatherface will never be far behind!"

Leatherface? Why would Blake give such an odd name too-then Lisa could make it out; a crude mask of stitched up human skin covering the brute's visage. That explained a lot!

In a swift motion, Leatherface put his flaying knife back into it's sheath and pocketed his sickening trophy.

Jason, meanwhile, could see the horror written across Cody's face, even in his haze. Whatever was happening on that screen... as far as Jason was concerned, it was good news.

On the screen, Leatherface scooped up his chainsaw and pulled on the cord, holding the loud, deadly machine above his head. Cody cried out in anguish when he watched the brute mercilessly dismember Lucian, the heathen leader's screams straining the devices speakers. Finally, Leatherface drove the furious blade into Lucian's chest, chewing through his armored vest before eviscerating his internal organs and sending them splattering in all directions like a geyser made of gore. Finally, when it was over, the chainsaw's motor calmed to a dull rumble and Blake's two faint, shaking words could be heard.

"Show's over..."

The screen cut to black once more, and the entire room went eerily quiet. Jason let out a slight grunt, a smirk of his own concealed behind his mask; Blake was still alive! This mentor of Cody's? Dead! Lucian failed, as Amelia failed before him. Cornell glanced to a now trembling Cody, daring to ask what they should do next. Their Lord was dead and there was no word on Miranda nor Axle.

Lisa flashed a wicked smile towards Cody before breaking into a fit of silent laughter. It was rather creepy, seeing the way she tossed her head back, squirming in her bonds, yet no sound came out.

"Sir?" Cornell questioned once more.

Cody's gaze suddenly shot up at his fellow cultist, and at once, the entire screen of the tablet shattered without warning. Cornell yelped and backed away towards the door, eyes widening in uncertainty as every needle, cable, and tube attached to Lisa and Jason were inexplicably ripped from their hosts' flesh, sending several jets of greyish-red blood everywhere. A strained snarl escaped from Jason's throat and Lisa's laughter ceased. The entire laboratory shook violently, stopping a few seconds after it began once Cody took in a deep breath to regain his composure.

"We move ahead... as planned!" Cody ordered.

The two of them left, leaving the door to swing shut and lock all on it's own. Before Jason and Lisa could try and make their escape, now that the tranquilizer IV drip had been removed, vents in the wall opened up, releasing an odorless white gas into the entire room. They held their breath for as long as they could, but the gas would keep pumping until they were both rendered unconscious. Eventually, the cold steel laboratory began to fade and they were both cast into blissful darkness.

**FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~**

The only major difference between the cell Jason and Lisa occupied and the on-sight quarters assigned to those that worked at the facility was the fact that Cody could enter and leave his quarters when he so desired. Even still, the small room had little in terms of furniture, just a bed, a nightstand, and a simple desk.

Shoulders heaving with each breath, Cody slammed his messenger bag on the desk when he sat down. Lucian... he'd made all of this possible. He had all the right connections! Without him, everything could unravel... everything Cody had worked so hard to achieve... undone by a backwoods hillbilly and a girl he'd never met! Unless he could expedite the process... somehow.

"You were not easy to find..." Cody muttered, as he opened up the bag, "I can only hope that the stories about your powers are true."

With that, he slid a large, leather-bound tome onto the shiny metal desk. The book just looked ancient and gazing upon what appeared to be a distorted human face on the cover gave Cody the chills. Entire wars had been waged over this grimoire. Only three were ever known to exist, and no one knew what happened to the other two. Even Amelia Rake had never laid her hands on this coveted treasure!

"Necronomicon Ex-Mortis... The Book of the Dead..." he whispered, turning to the first page, "What can you tell me?"

**-TO BE CONTINUED-**

**Author's Notes:: **

Okay, it took me a while to figure out how to start this and hopefully this will be a ball I can keep rolling. To start things off, this story will be a VERY ambitious Horror-verse crossover.

Now, anyone who has read my amazing friend's (Lady_Voorhees') story "The Strange Good Girl" might remember Cody. The naive young boy who had a hopeless crush on Lisa and ended up having a messy tangle with Jason. I figured that encounter would be enough to mess anyone up and put them in a rather vulnerable state. Honestly, writing out this "Villainous Cody" was a blast!

This story is an "Alternate Universe" sort, based on if the events leading into Lady_Voorhees' unfinished story, "Deadly Together, Forever Unstoppable", took a different turn. Before writing this out, I ran over basic plotlines with Lady_Voorhees.

I figured Cody's had ten+ years to nurse a festering hatred of Jason, and he's had a cult and black magic backing him up. One thing that seemed to give Jason a run for his money was that girl with telekinesis. So, I figured that's what I'd arm Cody with. And what's more... my, my, my that's an interesting storybook he's managed to get his hands on... just what do you think an ancient spell book filled with Necromancy and Demonology will do to someone like Jason? (Or even Lisa for that matter, given her current state.)

Please leave a review, reviews help! And thanks for reading. Don't you worry, there will be some nice, juicy "lemons" later on.

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


	2. I Trust You

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Another Note, I'm not "Following Time lines". Personally, I like the idea of a Horror "shared-verse", where these sorts of things are going on at the same time. Ft13th, NoES, TCM, Evil Dead/Army of Darkness, Halloween, Hellraiser, etc. and the list goes on, but I'm sure you get my point.

**Chapter 2: I Trust You **

-Somewhere on the Road, Late at Night-

The last twenty-four hours melded into an absolute blur for the two occupants rolling down the poorly lit back roads in an old-model police cruiser. Barely a day ago they had been in Texas, at the old farmhouse; just another day in the life of the Hewitts. Then Lucian Rake and his army of heathens came knocking during the night. Very few left the farm after the battle that took place. Thomas, Blake, and her dog Toby fled into the darkness, putting as much distance between themselves and Travis County as they could. They ended up near the boarder of Louisiana much later that night, but after minimal rest and driving hard for about seventeen hours straight, Blake wasn't quite certain which state she and her massive, masked passenger were in now... only that eventually, their current mode of transport might begin to garner some unwanted attention.

Toby sprawled out in the backseat. The German Shepherd was fast asleep, with only a few spots of dried blood caking his fur. During one of their brief stops, Blake had the sense to put all of the weapons, extra devices, and other scavenged items into a duffel bag she uncovered in the trunk. (Thankfully, Hoyt had kept some useful items in there.) Thomas, however, glanced at the backseat longingly. He really, REALLY disliked not having his chainsaw within easy reach. Although a bunch of bloody and stolen weapons... in a stolen police vehicle covered in bloodstains... it was already a lost cause and Blake knew it. Might as well add driving without a license to the list, considering she'd lost that too during her captivity at the hands of the Hewitts!

_'Not safe... pretty Blake need rest.' _grunted Thomas' gravely mind's voice, _'Need to rest...'_

Blake let out a moan, giving the steering wheel a bit of a harsh jerk and nearly over correcting the drift she'd descended into. By this point, the young psychic was running on momentum and some convenience store coffee, and the coffee had long since run out several hours ago. Neither one had gotten much sleep, barely anything to eat, nor was there much of anything to help dull the pain and aches lancing through their bodies from the brutal fight that raged at the old farmhouse. While one might have thought given Blake's prior situation she'd have been glad to be rid of that place, the girl could feel Thomas' sorrow as her own... just as he could feel hers. Neither one had been granted the luxury of properly mourning their losses.

"I-I'm pretty- pretty sure w-we can... can make it a little further, sweet giant..." Blake rasped, straining to keep herself awake, "W-we're almost there... a-aren't we?"

She sounded somewhat delirious. Her eyes had been focused on the road, watching as the mile markers and signs went by, their sharp reflections casting in the cruiser's headlights. Anything... anything at all to prevent her from reliving the night before. She didn't want to go to sleep. What would she see in her dreams after what she did?

At this point, Thomas knew he had to put his foot down. As much as he wanted this wretched trip to be done and over with, winding up in a ditch or wrapped around a tree wasn't the way he wanted it to end.

_'Pretty Blake... trust Thomas?' _growled the brute, mentally as he shifted in his seat to face the much smaller woman.

"Of... of course I do." Blake answered.

_'Find safe spot... to rest!' _Thomas insisted, reaching his large hand down and sliding it across Blake's belly.

He had grown concerned about her lack of appetite and insistence on relying upon caffeine and willpower to plow her way across multiple states. This was nothing new to Blake, as she and her father had been forced on these sorts of impromptu road trips before... but this time, things were different. Plus there was no disguising the fact that he too was utterly exhausted.

_'Kitten... he needs you... he needs you cognitive and functioning. And I for one am not too eager to be released from my promise either!' _echoed the voice of her father's spirit in the back of her mind, _'After all the shit you've been through, it ain't going to be a fucking car wreck that gets you!'_

While his anchor to the mortal world may have been snoring contently in the backseat, Tobias never needed sleep. Not anymore. Spirits never did. Sighing in resignation, Blake finally nodded in agreement. They were both right. She wouldn't be much use to anyone dead!

**FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~**

Eventually, Blake found herself back in oddly familiar territory. Had they really been driving for that long? But she knew the layout of the town, the tavern she and her daddy used to work at, the nice houses, and the ruins of Westin Hills Asylum. Springwood Ohio. Blake was back home.

Thomas fearfully gazed out the window, trying to press himself against his seat in order to camouflage himself into it, or at least it appeared that way to Blake. A worried groan escaped the back of his throat as his eyes darted around at the sights. Springwood was by no means "a big city", but it was FAR larger than anything Thomas was used too. Knowing that more people then he liked to be around lived here... all of the street lights, signs, all of it together was overwhelming to the poor giant. Blake didn't have to remind herself that Thomas was a country boy, born and bred. This had to be terrifying for him.

"I-I know where to go... i-it'll be the last place they'll think to look for us." Blake reassured the brute, lightly patting his arm.

After taking a few turns, they found themselves in a residential neighborhood with several large houses. Only one seemed to be in external disarray, and the "For Sale" sign looked as thought it had been out there for years... in fact, Blake knew it had been. Anyone who bought that place never stayed long. The numbers on the address had been altered, just as the original manor had been, but it would always remain 1428 Elm Street.

At the very end of the street stood a smaller and simpler cottage-style house. It looked as though it had been unoccupied for some time, as the yard was unkempt and growing wild. Blake parked the cruiser under the vacant carport, sighing as she turned off the engine. While this was only temporary, she couldn't deny that there was something satisfying about being back home.

"Tommy... t-this-this i-is my home... t-this is where I grew up," Blake explained, "Well... w-what's left of it."

_'Pretty Blake... live here first? Before-?' _Thomas grunted, gesturing to himself.

Well, obviously she had to have been living SOMEWHERE before meeting him! (Although how the girl put up with SO many close neighbors was beyond the brutes comprehension.) Cautiously, he got out of the car, taking a moment to stretch his cramped muscles. Now standing, it was even more obvious just how big he was, especially when compared next to Blake. He absolutely towered over her!

Taking a closer look at the house, Thomas could tell that at some point, someone had broken inside. This didn't surprise Blake at all, the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation would have tossed the place as soon as she and her father were forced to flee.

Toby had finally woken up, taking the opportunity to run around in the yard and take care of some much needed 'business.' Thomas grabbed what they needed from the trunk while Blake strode to the overgrown garden and began turning various stones and ornaments.

_'It should still be there, unless one of the goon squad found it... or Toby and Jason dug it up.' _Tobias' voice whispered in Blake's ear.

"Toby and-and Jason a-always did like going after buried treasure." Blake sighed, quietly, as she remembered her other canine companion.

Named after her friend and savior, Jason was a loyal and faithful dog. A true friend until the bitter end. His remains were still in Texas, lovingly buried in the shade of a tree on the Hewitt's farm. The poor beast gave his life to defend his mistress. Blake would have rather he shared a plot in the backyard with Kane and Hodder, but it was too late for that kind of wishful thinking now.

"Ah-ha! Found it."

Blake held aloft a key, although as soon as Thomas simply pushed the door open with an audible 'creak', it was all for naught. Just how long had their place been left open? She and Toby were about to follow, but Thomas turned to Blake and shook his head, motioning for her to wait outside with the dog. He dropped all of his other burdens, save for his trusty chainsaw, before going inside.

While the inside of the house would have been a cozy, comfortable dwelling at one time, it had been thoroughly searched and trashed, be it by the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation and possibly any other vandals that followed. It was dark, but there was enough light from the street lamps for Thomas to see. He could feel the gentle push of Blake's mind within his own as she shared his eyes; seeing everything he was seeing. Had there been any kind of squatter or burglar, they'd have been completely screwed. However, aside from the overturned furniture, long dead houseplants, and broken knickknacks there wasn't any immediate threat, none that Thomas or Blake could locate.

_'Safe." _Thomas eventually declared.

**FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~**

It wasn't easy getting settled in, but eventually the two of them had a tolerable living space in the master bedroom. By some miracle there was still electricity and hot water, however there was no telling how long that would last, considering the bills hadn't been paid in a while. Toby rested on the foot of the rumpled up but spacious bed, whining softly as Thomas gently undressed Blake and tended to her injuries. While the much larger man had more flesh wounds, he refused to let Blake look at them until he'd checked her over and washed away the leftover remnants of the fight. They both still had smears of dried blood they'd missed during pit stops, (Not just their own blood, mind you,) it was a sheer dumb luck that they'd gotten as far as they did without any trouble.

"Oh, you poor sweet thing..." Blake whispered, softly as she wiped away the tear forming in the corner of Thomas' brown eye.

The beast of a man gently took Blake's small hand in his massive one, nuzzling his masked face against her palm before kissing it. He'd come this far with her, despite all of his apprehensions and fears. Because of her... at this point, Thomas would follow "his Pretty Blake" into the Pits of Hell itself if she asked him to.

_'Scared... too many people... noise...' _grunted Thomas, mentally.

He'd lived out in the country his entire life with the security of his family. The massive, albeit shy brute hadn't had to deal with small town life in a long time. And while Springwood was steadily becoming a ghost town in and of itself, there was still plenty of noise coming from the nearby roads, night owls with their televisions turned up to high... and should Thomas need to defend their small turf, odds were good that someone would hear the roar of his chainsaw and call the police.

"Shhhh... i-it'll be okay. Just stay with me... and of course Toby." Blake said, softly, "You're not alone in this... I-I'm scared too. But I-I'll keep you safe." she added, with a weak, tired smile as she lay down against the pillows.

She was too tired put up any sort of protest as Thomas removed the last of her clothes, leaving her in only her underwear and briefly exposing the angel wing tattoos on her back, before he covered her with the rumpled but still usable comforter. Thomas had cleaned and dressed his own wounds many times before. Besides, protecting Blake was his job, not the other way around. By the time he'd finished up in the small, private bathroom, he saw that the psychic was already fast asleep and snuggled up with Toby. Gently, he ran his massive hand over the dog's course fur, though Toby barely even stirred.

The realization hit Thomas like a freight train head on. Everything he knew was being turned upside down and spun around. His home; destroyed. His family; all but one, dead. Blake... and the child slowly growing inside of her... they were all he had left in this harsh, cruel world. Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes again, as the sight of that heathen bitch driving a knife through his mamma's neck replayed over and over again in his head. He'd killed her! He knew he had, he felt the bones in her neck turn to jelly... yet why didn't they ever find her body among the sea of corpses?

Unable to fight his own body's need for sleep, Thomas laid down on the other side of the bed and closed his eyes. At the very least, this was better than spending the night in the car again. But then again... there was something eerie about this place; not necessarily Blake's home (or the fact that they were in her deceased father's room for that matter,) but it wasn't just the usual jitters Thomas got from being surrounded by too many people he didn't know or didn't like. It was something else; the same sort of creeping sensation he'd get whenever Lucian opened up his mouth to speak. He nearly jerked awake, thinking he'd caught sight of a shadowy figure grinning fiendishly at him from the darkness. However, when it disappeared as soon as he thought he saw it, the behemoth lay back down and fell into an uneasy sleep.

**FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~**

Blake couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong. It almost felt... empty, as though she'd been on her dosage of Hypnocil. But there hadn't been any Hypnocil available for years! In the first few moments of deep sleep, as she had feared, the invasion of the farmhouse led by Lucian Rake threatened to overtake her dreams. What actually happened. What could have happened differently. What would have happened if... if Lucian succeeded in his assault. Then it all went blank. She'd felt Thomas' presence, albeit it briefly. But it was as though he'd been ripped away... or she had been and was simply placed in another room.

_'Hello? What-what is this-? T-Thomas? Thomas, where are you?' _

Meanwhile, just as confused and misplaced as Blake was in this very moment, Thomas found himself aimlessly wandering about the dream scape, eventually stumbling upon his inexplicably empty old Texas farmhouse. This feeling was nothing knew to him; feeling consciousness but knowing that his body was asleep. He'd experienced it enough with Blake. But usually, Blake was with him in some way. They had traded dreams of past life experience before, wandered memories together... but he'd always been with her in one way or another. This time, Thomas found himself in here all alone and his body refused to wake up.

_'Blake? Where is she? Where did my Pretty Blake go?' _Thomas grunted, frantically looking around.

A strangled whimper escaped his throat as his familiar environment began to shift and transmute at a rapid rate. At once, Thomas made a mad dash for the sliding metal door near the stairway. His basement. His sanctuary and safe place. The brute reacted on instinct, throwing open the heavy door and descending the stairs as everything else whirled around him like a tornado. However, instead of his booted feet landing in the muddy puddle at the bottom of the wooden stairs, there was the crunching of dried leaves and twigs on an unkempt lawn. A chilling breeze stung the air and it was then did Thomas realize,

_'Outside? But...?'_

The confused behemoth staggered a little as he looked around, startled at how he'd suddenly found himself outside. Several large houses neatly lined both sides of the road, most of which... Thomas had seen for the first time just that night. He was... out in the middle of Blake's neighborhood? He stood in front of a large manor, one that he hadn't seen before... although the "For Sale" sign was now laying weathered and broken in the yard... but the house was different. Dark and foreboding, surrounded by dead, twisted trees and several old, decayed children's toys littered the ground.

_'One, two, Freddy's coming for you,' _sang a hauntingly chilling child's voice.

_'Three, four, better lock your door,'_

Thomas backed up with a whimper. This was wrong, all of it! He thought about returning to Blake's house just at the end of the street, but it seemed that no mater how hard and how fast he charged down the road... he always wound up coming back to that particular house, 1428 Elm Street. Now, several young children, boys and girls, all dressed in their white Sunday finest, innocently played in the yard. None of them even acknowledged the massive masked man and simply continued with their song.

_'5, 6, grab your crucifix,' _

_'7, 8, better stay up late,'_

_'9, 10, never sleep again!'_

He wanted them to be quiet! His chainsaw... where was that damn thing? However, after overturning some of the haphazard debris in the yard, a familiar voice grabbed Thomas' attention, causing him to spin around.

"It's okay, sweet giant... you don't need that wretched old thing."

It was Blake! His pretty Blake! She stood on the porch, wearing a similar white dress that matched the attire that the strange children wore. But Thomas didn't care... he was just happy that he'd finally found her.

"Come with me. Don't worry, it's safe." she beckoned, before turning back around and opening the door.

She took a peak over her shoulder, just to make sure the massive brute followed, then disappeared inside. Like a loyal to a fault dog, Thomas obeyed, making his way up the steps, pushing open the door... then he halted in his tracks. Gazing around at the shredded carpet, peeling wallpaper, and decrepit stairway... none of this felt right! Blake was there... he'd heard her sweet voice, seen her... but his mind couldn't FEEL her. The bond they shared together, he'd grown so used to it and whenever the two of them were together it was indescribable!

But gazing upon Blake now, wearing that white dress and dainty slip-ons, Thomas could tell that this was NOT his pretty Blake! She had the right hair, the same miss-matched eyes, one blue and one brown... then the brute took a closer look at her stomach. Growling low in his throat, Thomas narrowed his glare down at what he determined to be the Blake-lookalike and at once the girl's soft expression changed.

"You're smarter then I thought, lumberjack!" rasped a gravely male's voice that did not sound right coming from Blake's visage, "But still dumb enough to be useful!"

Hesitating, if only for a split second, Thomas charged inside, intent on tearing this phony apart with his bare hands. Whatever it was, it was NOT Blake!

_'My pretty Blake! Hurt my pretty Blake?!' _seethed through Thomas' mind.

However, it seemed like no matter how fast he ran, the ground beneath his feet acted like a treadmill, causing him to simply run in place until he exhausted himself and collapsed to the dirty carpet in a heap. Thomas shook his mane of long, dark hair out of his eyes as he struggled to stand back up. He could see the shadow behind the Blake-lookalike, now cast under an eerie red glow that shrouded itself over the entire room. It was a man's shadow, that much he could tell. And at once Thomas recognized the silhouette of the bladed glove dawned on the right hand.

"Hurt Blake? Oh no no, you big galoot... I need her. I need both of you more than you could imagine." growled the husky voice, "For now, just keep the little doe-eyed bitch safe for me."

Before Thomas could rise to his feet and make a second attempt to pummel this thing into oblivion, his entire body began to feel as though it were made of led and his movements became sluggish. White light began to cloud his vision as the image of the dream began to whirl and rip itself apart. Thomas managed one last look at the thing pretending to be his wife, taking notice of a tall, thin man in a ratty red and green striped sweater and dirty brown fedora in the girl's place. The shadowy fiend grinned at him, waving it's clawed hand in a taunting "bye-bye" motion before casting Thomas back into the waking world.

**FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~**

"Thomas... Thomas?! W-what happened? Are y-you hurt? H-how d-did y-you end up-?"

Blake's voice sounded rather distant at first, but it became clearer and clearer as his groggy eyes slowly opened to the mid-morning light shining through the windows. Then things went dark again... cold, wet... then suddenly warm and wet... it took Thomas a minute to realize that the German Shepherd was frantically licking at his masked face. When Thomas was finally able to pry Toby off of him, he realized that he was looking up at Blake's nearly naked form on the bed. She had a look of concern on her face, having heard the brute suddenly thrash out of bed and land on the floor with a loud 'THUD'.

_'Blake? My pretty... Blake?!' _grunted the brute's hazy mind's voice as he quickly righted himself.

Before Blake could react, Thomas' hands gripped her shoulders as he gazed into her equally concerned yet confused eyes. She could see the worry, fear, mixed only slightly with relief. Yet Blake didn't know exactly why. It was as if a blank spot had been put into his mind, causing some sort of memory blackout that she couldn't read.

_'What happened, sweet giant?'_

Thomas inspected the girl, though in all fairness, he couldn't remember his reason for making sure it was really her, only that he should. As much as he desperately wanted too... he couldn't tell her. Eventually, the massive brute's large hand covered Blake's belly, feeling the life they had created together squirming at his touch. The familiar feeling of the bond they had forged. He relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief while Blake ran her fingers through his messy mane of hair.

Something happened last night, but even Blake's memories of her dreams were in a fog. And while she might have had suspicions... she'd been careful to expose Thomas to as little of THAT part of her life as possible. She'd been careful not to explain too much about the clawed gloves nor had she ever mentioned 'his' name to Thomas. Yet... there was still a nagging suspicion in the back of her mind.

_'Keep pretty Blake and baby safe...' _Thomas gruffed, mentally.

**FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~FT13TH~TCM~**

Things remained thankfully quiet, as quiet as a suburban neighborhood could be, anyways. The strange noises and closeness of other people next door kept Thomas on edge and he only ventured outside when absolutely necessary. While they rested from their Texas exodus it was as good of time as any to take a more thorough inventory of that they had, clean off their weapons, gear, as well as the car, and plan out their route to Crystal Lake.

"It's... it's been a long time since I-I l-last saw Jason and Lisa... b-but I think they'll like you." Blake mentioned, as they sat at the dining room table, a pile of weapons, electronics, and provisions between them, "T-they were like family to me and daddy..." she reminisced, sadly as she cleaned the blood from a knife.

_'I've missed them very much...' _Tobias' spirit whispered, softly.

Thomas gave Blake an unsure look before going back to scraping the bits of human remains from his chainsaw. Toby eagerly waited near the behemoth's feet, lapping up any 'treats' that fell to the floor, causing Blake to squirm a little in her seat. (But at the very least, Thomas wasn't eating them! Perhaps there was some hope after all to ween him of his cannibalistic ways.)

Family was the most important thing in the world to Thomas, and by taking Blake as his wife, that meant that her family would become his. Unless they were anything like his Uncle Hoyt, this Jason and Lisa Blake spoke highly about would also be under his protection, as it was his duty to protect the family. He couldn't... would NOT fail again!

Along with going through the pile of assorted blades, a couple of handguns, two camcorders, three smartphones with cracked screens, and some loose cash with a multitude of different credit cards, Blake had also begun going through the house, looking for any of the hidey-holes she and her father were forced to leave behind in their haste to evacuate. While most of their emergency cash and survival gear was gone, there was still a stockpile of military grade "meals ready to eat" along with about five hundred dollars, cash, and an armored vest originally modified to fit her previous dogs hidden behind a false wall in the garage, much to Blake's relief.

After deciding what to keep and what to try and pawn off for a little extra cash (as well as saving any valuable information on the phones and camcorders to their memory cards before removing them,) Blake made sure that Toby was fed a proper meal and had clean water. It was nearing sundown and she and Thomas both agreed to leave early the next morning. Their "bug-out" bags were already packed, although Thomas would need more suitable clothes, as Tobias' weren't even close to the massive beast's size. Not knowing when her next proper shower would be, the young psychic wanted to take advantage of the hot running water while it was still available.

Thomas watched curiously as Blake removed her bandages and applied some clear adhesive plastic over the worst of her injuries to keep the water out, then proceeded to get undressed, leaving her light sundress and panties to pool around her feet on the floor. At once, she could sense the change in Thomas as he watched her, momentarily forgetting about the knives and meat hooks he was sheathing in his heavy slaughtering apron. Seeing the girl, naked and covered in battle scars, her previously flat stomach now slightly rounded with his child inside of her awoke a primal instinct within Thomas and it wasn't long until his boots came off, followed by the loose tie around his neck. Slowly but purposefully, Blake approached the beast of a man, assisting him in unbuttoning his shirt and unclasping the buckle of his belt. A slight gasp escaped her throat, taking sight of the growing arousal in Thomas' pants. He wanted her. Badly.

"I-I want... I want t-to show you, Thomas," Blake whispered, softly, as the two of them entered the small bathroom and turned on the shower, "I trust you."

There was far more meaning and intent in those simple yet powerful words. Thomas knew how shy and frightened Blake was about being naked in front of anyone, even him. Yet here she was, willingly giving herself to him. Under the warmth of the hot water and steam, Thomas pulled Blake's small form flush against his chest, emphasizing the vast difference in size between the two of them. He nuzzled against her neck, gently squeezing her small, supple breasts in his hands before moving down her soft stomach then to her inner thighs.

A slight rumble echoed in his chest when he heard the girl moan with want and press against him. His hardening cock prodded against her backside, causing shivers to race up and down his spine from the touch. Shifting his hold just enough for Blake to turn around and face him, he gently cupped her chin in his hand, bringing her gaze to meet his. Already, the girl felt her heart begin to race as a gentle tingle between her legs caused her breathing to pick up. She knew what it was; it was the same carnal pleasure Thomas was feeling in the moment. While they may have shared each other's pain and sorrow, they also shared joy and bliss.

_'Don't speak, pretty Blake.' _Thomas' voice gruffed, while looking down at the girl expectantly, _'Thomas... guide pretty Blake...'_

Nodding, Blake began to kiss the massive brute's chest, methodically working her way down as she got on her knees. Her small hands gently stroked the silky, swollen shaft in front of her. Slowly, she took the tip into her mouth and began to suck, teasing the underside with quick flicks of her tongue. Groaning contently, Thomas leaned back against the wall of the shower, closing his eyes. His hand gently rested behind Blake's head, stroking through her wet hair, but also keeping her right where she was. The psychic didn't panic, thrash, or struggle in any way. She suckled and moaned softly, taking him deeper into her mouth before gazing back up at him.

While hardly the most practiced at pleasing a man in the manner, Blake had picked up enough from the first time she tried this with Thomas to know how and where he liked it. She'd nearly gagged the first time, but luckily tonight things were going smoother. This time, she'd see him to finish without interruptions. With every suck, every lick, Blake could feel her heart beat faster and faster as her skin flushed. She could feel the pleasure Thomas felt in that moment... he was close... so close.

_'My... Pretty Blake...' _gargled the brute's voice in her mind.

His face contorted a bit, then relaxed into a deep sigh as orgasm took over and his warm load exploded into the girl's mouth. Blake let out a slightly surprised squeal, but at least this time she was ready for it. Thomas lightened his hold against her head, following her movements as she swallowed the last of his cum. She panted for a moment, leaning against the enormous man for support, before lightly kissing the tip of his cock.

Thomas helped Blake up to her feet and bathed her, tracing the feathered wings tattooed on her back and every so often sliding his hand in between her legs. She was already slick down there and the smell of her arousal was overwhelming. As per Thomas' request, Blake remained quiet for him, not even using her telepathic abilities to speak.

Once their shower was done, Blake was about to wrap a towel around herself after drying off when Thomas stopped her. Shaking his head, he gently removed it, letting it crumple to the floor. Scooping her up in his arms, the beast of a man carried her to the bed and had her lay down. Thomas towered above her as he leaned forward, resting his weight on his arms while he looked over the much smaller woman beneath him. He prodded at her legs with his knee, and obediently she spread to let him in. Blake's entire body flushed as she felt Thomas' hands caress her soft, silky skin. She had to remind herself not to be afraid. Not to be ashamed... He would never intentionally hurt her.

Thomas leaned down, lightly kissing Blake's neck before cupping her cheek in his hand. Slowly, he pushed the tip of his manhood inside of her, enjoying the feeling as her sheath of warm, wet flesh wrapped around his girth. Blake's face grimaced, if only a little; Thomas was a big man after all, and while life may have short changed him with his facial deformities, he was rather blessed in size and girth downstairs! Pushing in further, aided by the girl's natural lubrication, Thomas kissed Blake on her lips, lightly at first, before reaching up with one hand and untying the cords holding his mask on.

Without a second thought, he tossed the leather muzzle aside and passionately kissed her again, sliding his tongue into her mouth. It was somewhat wet and sloppy, but Blake did her best to reciprocate the affection. Her body involuntarily writhed and squirmed beneath the behemoth as her legs wrapped his around hips. She didn't even flinch when their kiss broke and she looked upon his unmasked face. Slowly at first, Thomas began to pump in and out of the luxurious, tight wetness enveloping him. Blake closed her eyes, trying to keep her gasp contained as her back arched. He was so... big! He pushed her to her limit, reaching her hilt and igniting her inner most being.

At first, it was just the steady rhythm of his piston-like movements, then she felt his hands trail down her flanks, stroke her belly lovingly, then one hand lightly brushed across her clit, nearly pushing Blake over the edge and causing her to squirm. At that moment, Thomas could feel it too, her pleasure... it felt like her tongue teased the tip of his cock all over again every time he lightly brushed that little bundle of sensitive nerves. He proceeded to speed up with his thrusts, rubbing her clit as he did. Blake was close, lost in a haze of bliss as the uncontrollable tidal waves of pleasure crashed over her. Her entire body trembled in orgasm as Thomas came inside her, filling her belly with his molten seed. Both of their bodies glistened with sweat as they took a moment to recover.

Blake felt emptied once Thomas pulled his now flaccid manhood out of her. However, there was little time to rest as the brute got down on his knees between her legs and sought to clean her up. Greedily, he licked up the juices that flowed down her thighs before lapping at her sweet, wet folds. He flicked his tongue inside of her, massaging her clit with one hand as he grunted animalistically. Blake's moans only caused him to speed up, feeling that familiar tingle of approaching orgasm.

They came together once more, both of them breathing heavily. Thomas stood up, but only long enough to crash on the bed next to his wife, placing his hand over her stomach. Blake put her hand over his, leaning her head ever so slightly to smile at him.

_'Pretty Blake... pretty voice...' _he rasped, with a tired but satisfied smirk, letting Blake know that she was free to speak again, _'Trust pretty Blake...'_

"I know that no matter what we find out there... you'll keep us safe..." Blake whispered, "My sweet giant."

They cuddled together, basking in the warmth of each other's bodies. When Blake peaked over Thomas' broad shoulder, her eyes widened a little, noticing the large German Shepherd sitting right in the doorway. Neither one of them had heard Toby come in, however there he was, as though patiently waiting for his mistress to finish up with her nocturnal escapades.

Quickly, Blake covered herself up, much to Thomas' confusion. Her skin quickly turned bright red from embarrassment and she could hear her father's voice snickering in the back of her mind.

_'Ummmm... daddy... s-sorry about y-your bed.' _Blake gulped, telepathically.

_'No skin off my nose, Kitten... I can't really use it anymore.' _answered Tobias' spirit, sounding as though he'd just seen the sort of thing that should never be seen,_ 'Just... ummmm... yeah, you two have fun... I'll-I'll go..."_

Blake's skin was still bright red, even after Toby quietly and sheepishly stalked back down the hall. Eventually, she glanced back to Thomas and just began giggling. Much had changed over the last several years. Her father understood, now more than ever that Blake wasn't a child anymore.

**::TO BE CONTINUED::**

**Author's Notes:: **

And here's chapter 2! See, I have been working on this! Anyways, I figured that this chapter should focus on Thomas and Blake after they fled from the farm house. I figured that since Thomas has been pretty much isolated from other people unless they were family of bound for the dinner table, a standard suburban environment would probably set him on edge.

Of course, you can't very well have Springwood without that Christmas sweater wearing, knife glove toting, and fedora sporting dream demon! Although it appears that he's pinning his interest on Thomas rather than Blake. (And for those of you wondering, yes, in my previous story Just Misunderstood, Thomas did unwittingly expose himself for Freddy Krueger.) But I loved doing the NOES nightmare sequence with Leatherface as the target. Considering Freddy refers to Jason as "Hockey Puck" or "Goalie", I figured "Lumberjack" was an appropriate Freddy-esque insult to be aimed at Thomas Hewitt.

Last but not least... some much needed bonding smut... you're welcome. I honestly love Blake and Thomas together... but of course, things get a little awkward when you know your dad's spirit is residing within your dog... and he may or may not have seen... something no father really wants to see.

Anyways, please bear with me. I know it's slow going right now, but I promise that things will heat up. Among other things I've done was rewatch Ash vs Evil Dead season 1 just to study various deadites and learn Ash Williams' mannerisms. (Not that it was any great sacrifice because I friggin' love that show.)

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


	3. Another Face of Evil

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Another Note, I'm not "Following Time lines". Personally, I like the idea of a Horror "shared-verse", where these sorts of things are going on at the same time. Ft13th, NoES, TCM, Evil Dead/Army of Darkness, Halloween, Hellraiser, etc. and the list goes on, but I'm sure you get my point.

**Chapter 3: Another Face of Evil**

Deep within the Dreamscape, a lone, shadowy figure rhythmically tapped his metal talons on the guardrail of the catwalk he waited on. Smoke and steam clouded the view of the heavily industrialized boiler room and the entire place glowed with an eerie dark red tinge. Freddy growled in frustration, remembering a time when countless confused and terrified souls would wander their way through the maze of corridors and catwalks, how he'd play games with their worst fears and mess with their minds. Now... there were so few who knew his name... so few that knew of his existence, and the bloodlines of the original Children of Elm Street had nearly gone extinct.

He considered paying Thomas another visit, but quickly reconsidered. If Blake caught wind of his little late night games it could put a halt to his plans quite quickly. Or at least, make things twice as difficult. The dream demon had always had a lithe form, but that filthy red and green sweater seemed to hang off of his body more than usual and his burnt face looked gaunt. For a lack of a better term, he was beginning to starve, his last kill being several months ago.

"I should have just gutted a few of those robed assholes myself!" growled Freddy, his tone quite bitter.

Knowing that at least six, seven, possibly more people that would freely throw his name around died in that accursed Texas farmhouse by the hands of that chainsaw-wielding hillbilly made his blood boil. The only reason he didn't slaughter every last one of the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation he could have gotten his claws on was because of their assistance, but that had been tapering off lately.

The sound of footsteps below caught the dream demon's attention. Strange. Usually he'd instantly feel the presence of a human soul entering his domain. Pushing the seemingly minor oddity out of his mind, Freddy seamlessly melted into his surroundings, his electric blue eyes boring into the robed female figure following the steam pipes snaking throughout the maze of corridors. Something else was missing from her. Fear.

"I'll give that bitch something to be afraid of!" Freddy snarled, under his breath.

His form emerged from the billowing smoke and steam that spilled from the pipes along the wall. He raked his steel talons across the concrete, creating the most terrible screeching and quickly getting the attention of his intended prey.

The teenage girl turned around, her scarred face expressionless. Growing more and more frustrated and wanting some sort of reaction... wanting her to show fear, Freddy bared his sharp, rotting teeth and raised his clawed hand to strike.

_'Nicccccce to ssssssssee you again, too, Freddy!' _hissed The Nameless, their voice coming out of Miranda's mouth, _'It'ssssss been a while, we know... but even you ssssssshould know better than to ssssssteal another demon'sssssssss hosssssst...'_

An audible groan escaped the dream demon's throat as he rolled his eyes in annoyance while lowering his hand. He'd never been terribly fond of The Nameless, especially not after what they'd done with Amelia Rake... what they had her do to him... what they wanted more than anything else.

"You assholes have five seconds, then you're little bitch host is MINE!" Freddy snarled, flexing his claws in a threatening manner.

The rival demons just snickered, smirking at the rather disheveled state Krueger was in, _'Killing her would do you no good... sssssssshe hassssss no ssssssssoul for you to take!'_

"I could still have fun!" Freddy countered, leveling a glare to Miranda, "I haven't had a fat chick in some time..."

_'You haven't had much of anything in ssssome time, Krueger. Amelia Rake worsssshiped you before we found her... sssshe'ssssss dead... Luccccian... he wasss weaker than ssssshe... but he sssstill loved you... he'ssssss now dead.' _The Nameless hissed, _'And what issss thisssss we hear? You want to keep Blake... OUR Blake... alive?! Hmmmm? Helping her... Visssssiting with that great, ssssstupid brute of herssssssss?'_

It didn't take a genius to figure out where The Nameless were going with this. Growling deep in his throat, Freddy lunged forward, grabbing Miranda by her neck and pushing her up against the searing hot pipes. Her flesh felt like ice to the touch and there was no pulse. The fiends within her body hissed in retaliation, and a large, partially rotted hand wrapped around Krueger's bladed hand. It was a man's forearm, crudely connected to where Miranda's own arm had been amputated the night before. The girl's eyes turned a sickening pale milky white and she let out an inhuman shriek. However, Freddy didn't let go.

"She's a Child of Elm Street... Blake McCormick and her little spawn are MINE!"

_'Her flessssssh and blood wassssss promissssssed to ussssss!' _The Nameless snapped back, '_Blake and her child belong to usssss now! You're old newssss, Krueger. Flawed. Onccccccce human. You've grown weaker and weaker the more your name fadessssss into obssssssscurity. But we grow sssstronger... The Sssssssssoldiers of Eternal Damnation don't need you anymore, dream demon! Fade away like a bad dream... your reign ended long ago! But it wasssssss fun while it lasssssted.'_

Another snarl rasped in Freddy's throat as he threw Miranda's body down to the ground in a rage. Even if these other demons had already taken her soul, killing their host would still make him feel better. The Nameless' shrill laughter echoed throughout the boiler room, and it wasn't until Freddy was about to drive his talons through Miranda's pudgy flesh did he realize that her zombie-like forearm was still grasping his wrist. Twitching and moving of it's own accord, the detached limb crawled up Freddy's sleeve up until he ripped it off and held it against one of the scalding hot pipes. The undead limb reacted to the pain, thrashing in Freddy's grip before he skewered it on his blades.

Miranda's bloody stump gushed sticky greenish black blood onto the filthy concrete floor, although aside from a pained wince she didn't seem to bothered. Once the angry dream demon was finished mutilating the limb, he threw it at The Nameless' host before going in for another strike. Before his talons struck, Miranda's body vanished, though not before her detached limb flipped him a middle finger, leaving the furious dream demon to pry his blades from the filthy concrete.

"GGGRRRAAAAHHHHH! You fucking sons of bitches!" Freddy roared, as he began to tear through the searing metal pipes as his chest heaved, "Neither one of them belongs to you! They are MY children!"

He knew that even if he'd killed Miranda, there would be no sustenance without a soul. Then those parasites would just find another host, then another and another. They prided themselves on being "stronger", even daring to come into HIS domain and take what was his... what he needed more than anything.

"Well... I could just kill her now! Blake and her fucking inbred hillbilly..." Freddy reasoned with himself, if only for a moment.

Blake had already broken their truce once, recently in fact. Besides, that way he'd have her, The Nameless would have nothing... but it wouldn't sustain him forever. And killing Blake... would be as good as turning his own blades on himself.

"The lumberjack... he'd... he wouldn't be an easy one but... Grrrrrr..."

Even just targeting Thomas alone... Freddy knew he'd need that big dumb brute to protect Blake in the waking world. At least for now. He wanted Thomas to assist in the creation of more Children of Elm Street; hopefully pop enough babies out of Blake so that he'd finally be able to kill her off and still have plenty more victims to sustain his existence. But perhaps there could be more uses for that over sized country hick. As for The Nameless, they had severely underestimated the nightmare they'd just unleashed.

"Cold flesh, no pulse, milky white eyes... that's more than those worthless parasites alone... now the question is... where did those bastards get a fucking Deadite from?!"

*Somewhere on the Side of a Back Road near Camp Crystal Lake*

Miranda woke with a sudden start. She took in a sharp gasp of air, an act of sheer instinct, however, it didn't help much anymore. Her body still felt the same; numb. Numb and cold. It was still dark outside, yet she had no memory of parking her SUV. Had she been out for a minute? A few hours? Glancing down at her mangled stump, she quickly took notice that it was dripping discolored blood all over her vehicle's interior. The zombie limb rested on the seat, it's fingers rhythmically tapping impatiently of their own accord.

"What the fuck were you doing with me?!" Miranda growled, her eyes narrowing at the dismembered limb while pointing to her still bleeding stump.

The animated appendage shifted itself so that Miranda could fuse the limb back to her body. She flexed the fingers a few times, as though she were simply trying on a glove. Yet, somehow it had sustained multiple cuts and even a burn.

'_Jussssst sssssomething long overdue that needed our attention,' _The Nameless hissed, _'You need not conccccccern yoursssssself.'_

"You told me that the rules of the living no longer apply to me," snarled Miranda, as she glared into her rear-view mirror, "The living need to sleep, I shouldn't need to anymore. Unless of course...?" she trailed off, flinching at the painful ringing in her ears.

Her reflection returned to normal, however there was nothing to mask the miss-matched arm she'd fused onto her stump.

_'You're right... and they don't. But thissssss wassss OUR bussssinessssss. Even Amelia and Luccccian new better than to presssssss...' _warned the fiends infesting the girl's mind.

Leaving the matter alone, for now anyways, Miranda started up her vehicle and began driving once again. It didn't take her long to make it to the little town. While small, the Town of Crystal Lake had been seeing even more tourism than usual... and a lot less people gone missing as well, save for every now and again when someone with a bad sense of direction ventured out to the lake... by themselves. A slight smirk crossed her face, seeing the replica hockey masks and plastic machetes behind the window of a tacky souvenir shop illuminated by a flickering street lamp.

"If only these poor idiots knew..." Miranda snickered, "Jason Voorhees, urban legend, a Revenant that cannot be slain... now he's nothing but a fucking tourist attraction... here, anyways. I don't know what's worse, being a tourist attraction or a lab rat."

The Nameless chuckled fiendishly with their host as she pulled into the nearly empty parking lot of what used to be "Mias' Family Grocers". Now, a great big glowing blue "S" and red "Mart" lit up the deserted lot. Sale posters and fliers were plastered all over the store windows and doors. As Miranda put her SUV into park, she couldn't help but notice the lone shopping cart roll past, aided by a gust of wind. There was only one other car parked there, an older model, yellow, but that was about all she cared to make out as she pulled out her phone.

Despite the crack in the screen, the device still worked. At the very least, reception had gotten a bit better now that the area could be modernized without work crews fearing for their lives. Miranda quickly typed out a text,

'It's me. He's gone. We need to talk. Bad time?'

She let out a deep exhale as she waited, hoping to feel something again. But it was all numb, numb and cold. It was strange, her flesh still moving, at least it felt like it... but even a deep breath, a sigh... the feeling of nothingness left her empty. Finally, she at least felt her phone vibrate in her hand as a response came through,

'About time! I know. Ditching the bitch now. I'll contact you when I can.'

Miranda just rolled her eyes; if Cody didn't kill that annoying woman, Rowan, then she just might! Perhaps Jason or his pet might "escape" one dark and scary night to do the deed. How Cody had managed to deal with her for as long as he had was beyond Miranda. Perhaps he just enjoyed torturing Jason and Lisa more than he got fed up with Rowan constantly wanting updates.

'BTW, I'll need you to let me in.' Miranda texted.

"You guys can get me past those trained bureaucrats if Cody can't, right?" she questioned, to the fiends in her mind.

_'Think of it thissssss way... they're good for sssspare-' _The Nameless suddenly paused.

When The Nameless went still, Miranda felt her zombie-like hand begin to twitch and fidget of it's own accord. It was then she caught sight of movement coming from the other vehicle in the parking lot.

_'Quick! Get usssssss out of here!' _

At first, Miranda was confused, however, her ears began to ring painfully the more the fiends shrieked in her mind. She was only able to get a glimpse of the broad silhouette approaching her vehicle before speeding out of the parking lot at The Nameless' insistence.

"Fucking Hell, no wonder Lucian was going nuts with you in there all the time! What the fuck was that about?!"

_'Just drive!' _The Nameless insisted.

*Camp Crystal Lake Research Center*

Back in his laboratory, Cody finally entered the last of his records for that night's work. Jason and Lisa were securely locked away back in their cell; it hadn't been Cody's original plan to spend the evening, but the woman standing just behind his chair had changed all of that. She was tall with light tan skin shoulder length brown hair. Rowan wasn't one to play games or be trifled with. She was known for running an annoyingly tight ship and constantly wanted updates on Cody's work.

Right about now, he dare not stand up. The last thing Cody needed was for Rowan to see the Necronomicon he had hastily hidden between his own back and the back of his seat. That would be sure to bring about some uncomfortable questions. He kept his eyes on the monitors in front of him, praying that his superior would get bored and find someone else to harass.

"Who keeps messaging you?" Rowan asked.

"Oh... it's just a wrong number, ma'am... some drunk guy..." Cody explained, hastily as he moved his phone to his pocket, just in case Rowan decided to snatch it off the desk for a closer look.

His posture stiffened as she came closer, reading the data on the monitors, "Is there any change in either one of them?" Rowan questioned.

"Ma'am... I don't know what more you want out of this. Jason I know for certain has been shot, stabbed, poisoned, decapitated, eviscerated, thrown off the roof and impaled on a wrought iron fence, set on fire, electrocuted, buried alive, gassed, and of course, drowned. Short of throwing him into a wood chipper or a volcano, perhaps even dropping a nuke on him I don't think there is a permanent way to kill him and keep him dead," Cody explained, turning his chair around to face the woman, "But that being said... look at what he's survived! Think of the-"

"No! It's too dangerous," Rowan argued, "Jason and Lisa can't be left alive."

"Please... ma'am, just a little bit more time. I think I found a way to purify Jason's regenerative genes using Lisa as a filter. She's the only one thus far to survive a direct transfusion-" Cody tried to explain, only to be cut off by Rowan.

"Until we find a way to make their deaths permanent, I want to make it clear that NO further tests are to be conducted on either one of them. We'll try to keep them comfortable until they can be dealt with. The cryochambers are nearly ready. "

At the mention of the cryochambers, Cody's eyes widened. He didn't think she was serious about that! However, deep freezing was one thing left to try. It was not a permanent solution, just one intended to prevent Jason and Lisa from killing any more of the staff or attempting escape before a method of execution could be utilized. But... that also meant that they'd be off limits, locked away in the deep freeze... everything Cody had been working so hard for... squandered.

"B-but then... all my research... their regenerative power-"

"Is not worth risking more lives for. That's final. I don't even want to see you doing any sort of tests without my consent. Is that clear?" Rowan commanded, her tone growing irritated.

Sighing, Cody tore his gaze away and meekly nodded, only looking up once Rowan left his lab, closing the door behind her. At once, his expression changed into a harsh glare as he pulled the Book of the Dead from it's hiding spot and whipped out his phone once more, scanning over the pages one by one. Everything within the book was written in another language, Ancient Sumerian. Cody had learned a little bit of that ancient language from the cult, enough to make out a few simple words, however he needed a faster translation. Especially now that his days working with Jason and Lisa were numbered. What did he have? Days? Weeks? If that?

"Damn it! That bitch is going to ruin EVERYTHING!" he snarled, watching as the app on his phone slowly began to translate the Ancient Sumerian writing into English, "I finally get my hands on the Necronomicon, the one thing that could truly bend that hockey-masked behemoth to my will... and she wants to put him in the walk-in freezer! Lisa... my sweet Lisa, she... she deserves so much better then that... then him... perhaps you'll show me a way. After all, she's pretty much just as undead as he is by now."

Cody glanced at the time on his phone; 4:36 in the morning. Geez, had he really been working that late? Either way, now that he had some time off the clock, perhaps he could meet with Miranda and finally get some answers. After all, where was she when Lord Lucian Rake was having his face peeled off by that wretched girl's monstrosity?

*Back in the Dreamscape*

Meanwhile, glowering in the tattered remains of his old, dilapidated house, Freddy Krueger rhythmically tapped his steel talons along the the arm of the disheveled couch in his living room. He'd had some time to calm himself after The Nameless' insults and threat, at least enough to start hatching his strategy. Glancing to the old, tube-style television with a crack in the screen, he hesitated for a moment. The dream demon knew he couldn't afford to be caught snooping around Blake's dreams, since it would only land him in a stickier situation then he was already in. But then again... what's a truce? Blake blatantly broke her end of the bargain first. So what was a little breaking back?

"Come on, princess... let's have one of those visions, now. What are you and the lumberjack up too?" Freddy muttered to himself, through gritted teeth as he watched the flashing images on the dull screen unfold.

His electric blue eyes fixated on the image of Thomas' uncle, Sheriff Hoyt, blasting Tobias' McCormick in the chest with a shotgun in the middle of the Last Chance convenience store. The dream demon had to admit, he considered following through on Blake's original request to go after that vile excuse of a man, considering Hoyt unknowingly robbed Freddy of "one of HIS children". However, before he could lament the loss of a victim he didn't get to claim for himself, the fiend perked up as Blake's thoughts and dreams began to shift. Freddy could hear her anguished moans and pleas for help and it took great restraint to not find the psychic and kill her then and there.

"What have you got for Freddy? That's it, little angel... spill it."

The images flashing through Blake's mind were happening so fast it was difficult to make out. A young blonde boy in his early twenties, facing down... Jason? Next he saw the same boy, only a few years older as a younger Miranda Skinner handed him an old but well maintained machete.

_'You need to make it look like Jason did it.' _she said, with a devilish grin.

Next, the dream shifted once more, this time showing Jason and Lisa both being dragged down a dimly lit hallway, bound in heavy chains and being directed by means of the reinforced catch poles around their necks and electric cattle prods.

That same blonde boy from before stood by and watched, a subtle smirk across his face. Freddy's own smirk nearly mimicked that boy's while he watched Jason and Lisa both be relentlessly tortured in a series of fast-paced flashes. Farmed for samples, restrained in different, often painful ways, and finally multiple attempts to see just how far Jason's ability to regenerate could go, including the blonde boy chopping off the masked killer's head, gruesomely taking at least ten swings to make it through the thick, muscular neck before ultimately and crudely sewing the head back on the messy, bloody neck stump and having the unresponsive body thrown into Lisa's cell.

However, the last thing he saw before Blake woke up with a terrified scream caused the dream demon's eyes to widen. An ancient spell book! It's cover of a distorted human face nearly glaring right back before the image cut off.

"It can't be!" Freddy rasped, jumping to his feet as his chest heaved with excitement, "Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. That's my ticket out of here! But... but how do I get it?"

That blonde boy in Blake's dream, the Hockey Puck and his little pet, and the Book of the Dead... somehow, they were all connected. Miranda was with that kid, handing him a machete... a Soldier of Eternal Damnation? More than likely.

But what Freddy knew for certain; Blake wasn't one to abandon her friends. She would go after Jason and Lisa, wherever they might be. Perhaps he could utilize this; find the goalie, find the Necronomicon? With the right spells he'd no longer be bound to the Realm of Dreams alone. But before he could make any solid plans, he'd need more information... and he might need a friend.

"Even if she did get her hands on that book, Blake would never willingly hand it over to me... but maybe the lumberjack could be trained to fetch... like the good doggie he is." Freddy mused, his clever smile dropping as it dawned on him what this would mean, the danger Blake would surly be heading toward, "Oh... shit!"

*Elm Street, Blake's Childhood Home*

A sudden scream broke the quiet of the night, startling Thomas awake with a jolt. Beside him, Blake sat bolt upright, panting heavily and her body glistening in cold sweat. The massive brute felt around in the dark, finally grabbing the handle of his chainsaw before a small, trembling hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Tommy... i-it's... it's n-not something... y-your blade can fix." Blake rasped, dryly as she struggled to catch her breath.

Turning back in bed to face his much smaller wife, Thomas gently ran his hands over his precious Blake, feeling for any injuries before resting his hand over her belly. A concerned whimper left his throat, _'Pretty Blake... have bad dream?'_

He wasn't always pulled inside to share her dreams, but Thomas had learned to identify when she was having nightmares or not. It didn't take any sort of psychic bond this night to know that it must have been bad tonight, as tears flowed down the expectant mother's cheeks while she curled against his broad chest.

"A-after all t-these years... I-I finally saw t-them... m-my friends... Jason and Lisa Voorhees... t-they-they were being tortured... w-where I-I don't know exactly..." Blake rambled, her words not making much sense to Thomas, yet he still listened intently, "A-and t-that... isn't all..."

She reached for the sketchbook and pencil on her nightstand, turning on the small lamp as she did. Blearily, Thomas watched as Blake flipped through the pages, seeing the faces of people he'd killed once more, a log cabin in the woods, even that girl Kaylie (Although he didn't see that strange "burnt man" again.)

When Blake was about to turn the page on the large hockey-masked man and feral woman, Thomas stopped her, causing the girl to let out a startled gasp.

_'Helped... pretty Blake...' _his mind's voice grunted.

"Y-yes... Thomas. T-they did... t-they saved my life w-when I was a little girl. T-that's Jason," Blake mentioned, pointing to the drawing of the other masked man, "A-and t-that's Lisa... t-they live a-at Crystal Lake... t-that's w-why I-I need t-to go back there..."

Finally, she flipped to an empty page and furiously began to draw.

That blonde boy Blake saw in her dreams, his progression from being attacked by Jason to possibly being his captor now. A Soldier of Eternal Damnation, maybe? While she and her father were being hunted and chased did another wing of the cult storm Crystal Lake? But why hadn't she seen anything in her dreams about Jason in years? All she remembered was that the letters stopped and when she and her father went to visit again, there was absolutely nothing out there. Tears of frustration slid down her face as she hastily scribbled on the paper, her need to recreate what she saw driving her mad.

Eventually, Thomas snapped Blake out of the trance by taking her into his arms and holding her against his broad chest. The girl began to calm, leaning heavily into her massive husband's warmth, although she still trembled from the cold sweat. Toby perked up from the foot of the bed, the dog having grown curious by the sudden commotion of his mistress. While both Thomas and Blake stroked the German Shepherd's fur, they took a closer look at what had been drawn.

_'Who is he?' _Thomas questioned, with a slight growl to his mind's voice as he pointed to the boy.

He wasn't just jealous of the handsome face, even if it was slightly marred by a scar across the forehead. Thomas recognized the symbol worn around the boy's neck; the same one that the bad demon people who murdered his family and tried to take Blake away from him wore.

"I-I d-don't know... I-I might h-have seen him before, b-but I d-don't remember where." Blake answered.

A low growl reverberated in Thomas' chest. Was this boy responsible for taking away Blake's friends? This Jason and Lisa meant a lot to Blake, and while he'd never met them himself, Thomas could feel Blake's longing for them as though it were his own. They were as good as family to Blake, and it was Thomas' duty to protect his family... all of it!

Next, Thomas pointed to the other drawing sharing the same page. At first, it looked like it might have been a piece in his own morbid collection that sat out in the Texas sun for too long. But it wasn't fashioned in the likeness of a mask so much as it were a... book cover?

At once Blake felt a nauseous pit form in her stomach, and it wasn't from the morning sickness (although that certainly didn't help matters any.) She took a rather dry swallow and glanced up to Thomas, her mismatched eyes wide in terror.

"T-Thomas... y-you need to know... t-there are t-things out there... things t-that don't belong in this world," Blake explained, through shaky breath.

_'Like the bad people? The ones who tried to steel pretty Blake and baby?' _Thomas questioned.

"C-close... t-those bad people h-help these things g-get into our world, by means of spells and black magic. Evil, terrible things that refuse to die and feed on the souls of the living. T-this book... is one of t-the doorways f-for such things t-to come i-into this world..."

Blake couldn't help but notice Thomas' skeptical expression. What was his pretty Blake going on about? Perhaps she'd been hit on the head rather seriously? Mamma had always said that magic wasn't real. It was a made up construct; a fantasy. Grunting, Thomas shook his head.

_'Magic... not real.'_

"T-then how do you explain m-me?" Blake questioned, "Explain us. We feel each others pain, pleasure, I-I can hear your thoughts and the thoughts of those around me, I predict events and see the past in my dreams, sometimes I also s-speak... s-speak with spirits. M-my... my daddy's spirit... h-he's b-been in Toby s-since... h-he was murdered, w-watching over me. A-and animals... a-animals will obey my commands without question, even trained ones loyal to another master. A-and w-when I-I see the world t-through your eyes... feel what you feel... t-that rush of t-the chase..."

At this, Thomas found himself at a loss for words... more so than usual. He knew his pretty Blake was special but he'd never known how to explain it. The massive brute didn't find a reason to need it explained, he was just happy with Blake. She belonged to him and that was enough. But then he thought back to the events at the farmhouse, still fresh in his mind... how his Uncle Monty pointed his shotgun at his own head and pulled the trigger... and Miranda... when she drank that drain cleaner... yet his Mamma suffered the effects... Thomas had no explanation for that either but to deny it ever happened would have been nothing short of foolish. He knew what it was he saw.

"Some call it magic, others call it supernatural. I-it's rare, exceptionally rare... b-but it exists. Y-you deserve t-to know, Thomas. Y-you deserve t-to know what I-I am..." Blake confessed, unsure of what else to say that would make her rambling make sense, "A-as much a-as I know... I-I don't even fully understand what I am..."

Gently, Thomas hugged Blake close to him, gently shushing her while cradling her in his arms in an attempt to comfort her, _'Mine, Pretty Blake. You... are mine.'_

That was the simple truth; easy for both Thomas and Blake to understand. Blake was his, as he was hers. No amount of magic, supernatural, or hocus pocus would change that fact. "Pretty Blake" and the child she carried belonged to him, Thomas Hewitt, Leatherface, or by any other name.

"T-Thomas... t-there's no telling w-what w-we'll find in Crystal Lake... I-I... I c-cant ask y-you too..."

Once again, she was gently quieted by the beast of a man.

_'Where pretty Blake goes, Thomas follows. Protect family.'_

Thomas held Blake for some time, doing whatever it took to soothe her back to sleep. There was a long day of traveling ahead of them, and short sleep would do neither of them any favors. He looked down at the much smaller female in his arms, her quiet breathing creating a soothing sound as she cuddled against his broad chest. Carefully, as not to jostle her, the huge man reached for her sketchbook, getting a rather quizzical look from the German Shepherd trying to wedge himself between them. Thomas lightly scratched the animal's ears before flipping through the pages, though not before regarding Toby curiously. What did Blake say? About her father being... in the dog?

Nope. No, that didn't sound right.

He paused at the drawing of Jason and Lisa once more, then began to backtrack through the sketchbook. Drawings of Blake's previous dogs, Kane and Hodder, her father, and many other people he didn't recognize. After what had happened, the fog his mind had been in, Thomas wanted to see it again. Then he finally found what he was looking for; two pages had been stuck together.

The drawing of a man with horribly burnt skin, a dirty striped sweater, fedora, and bladed gauntlet almost seemed the glare back at Thomas from the paper. It was difficult to recall through the haze... had he seen this man before? Other than just in the pages of Blake's sketchbook? Was this thing perhaps... black magic, as Blake called it? Growling low in his throat, Thomas turned a few more pages, his eyes drooping from fatigue. Toby let out another soft whine, the restless spirit within the dog channeling his energy through the animal.

_'Well fuck...' _was all the spirit managed to say.

Through bleary eyes, Thomas glanced at the dog once more. He patted the German Shepherd's head, eyeing Toby suspiciously.

_'Strange.' _Thomas thought to himself.

He must have been hearing things.

**::TO BE CONTINUED::**

**Author's Notes:: **

Part of me wasn't sure how to feel about this chapter, since I know it goes in many directions all at once. However the two things I was sure about, The Nameless and Freddy both at odds over Blake, since each one considers her to be "theirs". While they may have cut the dream demon off of his previously easy hunting, The Nameless underestimate Krueger.

The other part was Blake attempting to explain the concept of black magic and demons to Thomas. Having grown up the way he was, the occult isn't exactly something he's terribly familiar or comfortable with. Blake, knowing that her unique set of powers more than likely are the byproduct of black magic, isn't really sure how to breach the subject and isn't even able to explain what she is, considering she doesn't understand it herself.

It's all part of the challenge, I guess, crossing these things over. And for those of you wondering, yes, Thomas did unwittingly expose himself to Freddy back in Just Misunderstood, when he saw a sketch of the dream demon in Blake's sketchbook.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, please leave a review. I've got chapters 4 and 5 written out as first drafts and I plan to work on 6 shortly.

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


	4. An Old Friend

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

**Chapter 4: An Old Friend**

***The Cemetery Just Outside of Crystal Lake***

Pacing anxiously in front of her parked SUV, Miranda looked at her phone again, checking the time once more. She groaned in annoyance, glancing up at the sky. It would nearly be dawn soon, a time she'd grown to detest in such a short span. With any luck, the dark gray clouds would remain overhead and shield her from the sun's wretched rays. Cold wind rustled through the trees and stirred up the dried leaves on the ground, whipping through the rows of gravestones nearby.

Cody had a theatrical talent for picking meeting locations but his timeliness was another story. Miranda already had her stories lined up, it was just waiting that was the worst part and her new friends had gone disturbingly quiet since the S-Mart parking lot incident back in town.

To pass the time, she read the names upon the various tombstones, smirking as she came across one that read **"Pamela Voorhees" "Devoted Mother"**. Miranda scoffed, finding that the birth and death dates had been scratched from the headstone.

"Mrs. Voorhees... I know it's probably a little late for this... but don't loose your head, now." she chuckled, turning to the sound of something large making it's way up the overgrown trail.

Miranda reached for the knife at her hip, listening to what sounded like hoof beats in the dirt and gravel. Before long, a large gray horse with a rider shrouded in the dark robes of the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation slowed to a trot as it approached the girl. Miranda paused, if only because she recognized Cody's distinct blonde hair as he pulled down the hood of his robe. The steed he'd been riding began to restlessly kick at the ground and neigh fearfully, pinning it's ears against the side of it's skull.

"Really, Cody? A horse? What is this, 1300 AD? Game of Thrones?" Miranda questioned, coolly as she crossed her arms with a bemused smirk.

"Any vehicles from the research facility are closely monitored," countered Cody, as he regained control of his mount, "Besides, horses can go where vehicles have a difficult time. I have an arrangement with one of the rental stables on the campgrounds. The bureaucrats don't care about the activities of the tourists, as long as they stay off of the government's property."

He dismounted as soon as the horse settled down, though it was clear that the animal was still skittish about something. Before their conversation about which mode of transport was better suited for the overgrown terrain, Cody cut straight to the point.

"What in the hell is going on?!" he hissed, "First I see Lucian, you, and Axle storming that farmhouse, then the next thing I see is that human-leather masked beast carving off our Lord's face before shredding him with a bloody fucking chainsaw!"

Miranda's eyes widened a little; she'd left when things took a turn for the worst and didn't stick around to witness Lucian's fate, "B-but the livestream stopped before-" she began.

Cody quickly pulled out his phone, tapping a few icons on the device and playing the part of the livestream Blake had improvised with Leatherface. Even for as hard and cold as Miranda was, she couldn't help but feel some shock at the sight of her former Lord's gruesome demise... not to mention the fury and intent behind Blake's words.

_'Don't feel bad for him, Miranda... he wassssss weak!' _the nameless hissed, in their host's mind.

"I-I h-had no idea... I was forced t-to flee once the house caught on fire, after that beast-" Miranda stopped herself, feeling her neck for a moment.

At the sight of her mismatched arm, Cody quirked an eyebrow, "Looks like he took a piece of you as well."

"Thomas Hewitt, the one Blake gave that cute little pet name too, the one who took Lucian from us," Miranda admitted, "Luckily I found a spare."

Once again, Cody's horse began to stomp the ground and snort loudly the closer Miranda became. Glancing to his animal, then back to the girl, he had already put together that something wasn't all there with her.

"What about Axle?" Cody questioned.

As Miranda shook her head, another harsh wind blew through the trees, kicking up dried leaves and dirt as it did. Shuddering slightly, Cody fought to retain his composure, although a large crack suddenly splintered through Pamela Voorhees' headstone.

"With Lucian gone, that leaves us as the head of Soldiers of Eternal Damnation,"

"We don't have many acolytes left." Miranda explained.

With a smirk, Cody handed Miranda one of the bags off his horse's saddle. Curious, the girl opened it, finding an assistant's lab coat and uniform, along with all of the credentials she'd need to get inside the research facility.

"Then we just need to invite more." Cody stated, "That's why I picked this place... I need to get in some practice."

Confused, Miranda questioned further, "Practice for what? Shouldn't your practice be back in the lab with your favorite playthings? Cody... you sacrificed so much to put Jason where he is now."

"And now Rowan plans to ruin everything I've worked for!" Cody snarled, as another sharp gust of wind picked up.

He secured his horse to the post of an old wrought iron fence, much to the beast's displeasure as it continued to stomp and grunt nervously. After grabbing a wrapped satchel out of the saddlebag he made his way through the small cemetery, Miranda following close behind.

"She insists on freezing them in the cryochambers to await permanent execution... cancel my research... perhaps transfer me only Hell knows where... but I've come too far to give in to the whims of mortals."

Cody stopped in front of one of the more recent headstones in the small graveyard. Out of one of his pockets, he pulled out a dull metallic name tag that read; "Delia" "Manager". A single tear slid down his cheek as he glanced from the name tag in his hand then to the grave in front of him, **"****Delia Mias" "Beloved Wife and Mother" "Born May 7****th****1969 – Died June 18****th****2018"**.

_'Hmmmm... interessssssting...' _The Nameless hissed, curiously.

"And we're here because...?" Miranda questioned, with a shrug, "Ummm, Pamela Voorhees' grave is right over there," she added, pointing to the headstone she'd been mocking earlier, "If you're looking for a fresh new way to torture Jason, wouldn't you want to dig up Mommy Dearest?"

"Please, Miranda. Even I have my limits. Besides, for this I need an in tact body," Cody answered, "You see... I've come into possession of something so valuable, Amelia Rake herself would have given up her prized blade gauntlet for it."

Now Miranda just let out an amused laugh, shaking her head and turning away for a moment, "Oh please. You never knew her, Cody. I did! There is nothing in this world she'd have given up that glove for!"

She turned back around, just in time to see Cody unveil the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. At once her eyes widened and the excited jeering of the fiends inside her mind filled her ears.

"Except for THAT!" she quickly corrected herself, gasping in shock, awe, and excitement, "Where did you get it from?"

A wicked grin crossed Cody's face while he turned to the page he'd bookmarked and translated earlier.

"Have you ever heard the tragic tale of Ashy Slashy?"

Miranda could hear The Nameless hiss at the mention of that name and growl angrily, however she managed to keep a straight face, "Wasn't he just some old has-been from Michigan who claimed to be a demon slayer? But In reality he just butchered his sister and friends in some old cabin out in the woods. At least, that's what I've heard."

"Forced to kill each and every one of his friends as they succumbed to the power of the demons summoned by this grimoire." Cody corrected, "For a time, he fancied himself a demon killer and hero, spreading tall tales about slaughtering fiends in ancient times, even declining an offer to become king and return to his own time or some other such nonsense," he added with a laugh, "Now he's nothing but a pathetic sex-starved, slovenly drunk and drug addict. For thirty years he'd kept the Necronomicon hidden from the world of the living... up until he got himself shit-faced and stoned by yours truly, leaving it carelessly on the back seat of his crumby yellow Delta! I've been in contact with him for years on the sly, convincing the moron that I could translate the book and banish it's power once and for all. There's one bar tab the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation might run into problems trying to repay. But it was worth it."

That was quite the story, however, that left Miranda with the obvious question, "Well did you kill the bastard?"

Reading through his translations and notes, making sure that the sudden influx of wind didn't blow any of them away, Cody let out a heavy sigh, "You know, Miranda, for as much as you claim to hate Rowan, you and she have a lot in common."

Those words might as well have been the greatest insult to ever reach the young cult leader's ears, "Like what?! I'm nothing like that mortal bitch!"

"Both of you always seem to think that killing is the absolute answer! Do you not see the greater picture?" Cody mused, "Leaving the foolish wretch to witness the true power of this ancient spell book is far crueler than death ever could be... oh yes... I also just remembered... Rowan is terribly bossy too."

He caressed the pages of the Necronomicon; in all honesty, the one thing more precious to him would be none other than Lisa herself. Even as Miranda glowered at him for his remarks, Cody didn't even seem to notice or care.

_'Cody has ssssssstrength and determination, but do not make hisssss missstakesssss, Miranda...' _The Nameless warned.

Nodding slowly, Miranda remained quiet as Cody began his incantation. To most, it might have sounded like complete nonsense, however the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation often used spells from various sources to summon spirits and demons to do their bidding. However as the chant intensified, Miranda found herself entranced by the words, as if the Book of the Dead itself were speaking to her directly. The wind picked up and clouds rolled overhead and darkened unnaturally. Cody's horse began to rear and neigh in absolute panic, stomping at the ground and shaking it's head violently while flashes of lightning lit up the sky.

At the end of his incantation, Cody pricked himself with the pin of the name tag he held in his hand, letting his blood coat it before throwing it on the plot of dirt and weeds in front of his mother's headstone. The ground around the grave site shook violently and the muffled splintering of wood could be heard from beneath. Before long, a skeletal hand with bits of flesh still clinging to it shot up from out of the dirt, grasping the small trinket Cody had offered.

"Nice to see you again... mother." he said, dryly and with a delighted smirk.

**~FT13th~TCM~NOES~FT13th~TCM~NOES~FT13th~TCM~NOES~**

That morning, Thomas awoke with a startled grunt. Thankfully he hadn't been plagued by nightmares again, though his dreams often turned to that old, decrepit house. The beast of a man nearly panicked when he noticed that Blake wasn't in bed with him, however the rustling in the kitchen and blunt claws clicking on tile floors told him that both she and Toby must have been in there. Slipping on his worn, dirty work pants, Thomas shambled out of the bedroom and down the hall, finding his pretty Blake sitting at the kitchen table with one of those prepackaged meals she'd found yesterday. Beside her was an open jar of peanut butter and... pickles?

"Thomas!" Blake cried out, her eyes widening in embarrassment as she licked off her fingers, "I-I'm s-sorry if I-I woke you... I just... had a sudden craving-"

Before she could finish her explanation, the brute lightly nuzzled against the girl and kissed her a few times, slipping his tongue into her mouth before backing away with a quizzical look while smacking his misshapen lips.

At this, Blake couldn't help but laugh a little, as apparently her choice of breakfast didn't linger well with Thomas. Under any normal circumstances, Blake would agree. But for some reason, the odd pairing was the only thing that satisfied her... well, other than Thomas himself, of course.

"Sorry..." Blake apologized, shyly as the brute turned away to get the car packed for the trip ahead of them.

While Thomas was busy in the other room, Tobias' spirit spoke up, _'Kitten... I-I think... Thomas... saw the drawing you drew of...'him'. A-and by they way he acted... like he was looking for something in particular-'_

_'Daddy... I-I can't risk exposing him. I-it's just a-a drawing with no name-' _Blake tried to reason.

_'You didn't need 'his' name to be exposed.' _the spirit of her father answered back, _'Just a patch of sweater. What do you think all those clawed gloves the cultists used plus that drawing could do?' _

Tobias was right and Blake knew it. But to bring it up to Thomas could only make things worse, possibly expose him more? (If that was possible.) Blake already had her suspicions but no solid proof. Even though the massive brute was mute, he could potentially and unwittingly spread that vile fiend's name around in other ways.

When she was done with breakfast, the psychic returned to the master bedroom and grabbed her sketchbook, flipping through the pages and stopping at the image of Freddy Krueger glaring out of the flames. Frowning, Blake tore the page from her sketchbook, silently hissing _'Leave him alone!' _before shredding the drawing and hiding the remains in the partially full bathroom garbage. Not that it really mattered anymore... despite the precious memories this place held, she didn't plan on returning. All she could do was curse herself for being so foolish.

Once that little deed was done, Blake assisted Thomas with loading the last of their supplies in the old squad car before taking one last look at her childhood home. So many memories resided in that little house. If anyone could understand her pain about leaving a formally safe and familiar place behind, it would be Thomas.

"Time to go..." she said, gently patting Thomas' bicep as she led him to their vehicle.

**~FT13th~TCM~NOES~FT13th~TCM~NOES~FT13th~TCM~NOES~**

Meanwhile, locked away in an annoyingly brightly lit cell at the Crystal Lake Research Center, Lisa continued to pace anxiously, rubbing at the new scars forming on her arms from the multitude of needles she'd been stuck with over the last several days. Jason's injuries had already healed completely, however the masked behemoth wasn't in any shape to join his mate in her pacing.

Their captors, having learned their lesson after Jason killed multiple staff members, kept the beast of a man under powerful tranquilizers. Enough to minimize his potential damage, however the massive killer remained cognitive enough to snap the neck of anyone who got too careless around him. Lisa kicked the door to their prison in a fit of frustration before running her hand through her messy, long hair. Her glare narrowed up at the security cameras mounted in the ceiling corners of their cell, protected by sturdy wire cages. There was nothing but the shiny metallic walls, the lights, and each other. Not even a bed to sleep on or a book to read. What had begun to frighten Lisa more than anything was that the frequent trips to Cody's laboratory was the only stimulation she and Jason had to look forward too. She'd begun to forget the feeling of moist earth beneath her feet and the sound of wind through the trees. The way the sunlight sparkled on the lake... making love to the Crystal Lake killer under the stars.

Grunting, Jason forced himself into a sitting position against the wall, beckoning his love to come to him. Lisa abandoned her mission to bring attention to their cell, crouching down next to the much larger male. She didn't even have to say anything; Jason knew that she was scared. He was too; of what that wretched boy and Rowan had planned for them... for Lisa. Gently, he wiped away the tear that slid down Lisa's cheek, cupping her face in his bear-paw sized hand.

"I will always be yours," Lisa mouthed, silently as she leaned into the masked giant's affection.

Jason let out a deep, rumbling growl from his chest, pulling the smaller female closer to him. He reveled in her warmth, a stark contrast to their cold prison. Yet holding Lisa in his arms brought Jason little comfort this time. Something wasn't right... something was off, more so than usual. He'd long since lost track of the last time he heard his mother's voice. And seeing Blake, knowing that she was still alive... but had unwittingly made an enemy out of the boy Jason detested more than anyone...

_'She must not come here...' _Jason thought to himself, glancing down towards the girl in his arms.

Lisa gave him a quizzical look and a chirp-like whistle with a head tilt. Without means of writing, communication had been more challenging then usual, especially to Jason. He didn't know how he could express his concerns about Blake and her father. All he could hope for was that Blake would not return to what was once her safe haven.

**~FT13th~TCM~NOES~FT13th~TCM~NOES~FT13th~TCM~NOES~**

From the safety of the guardroom, Rowan watched the two killers from multiple feeds on the monitors. Despite the tenderness those two shared with each other, she knew what they were. All of the murders, the absolutely brutal killings... and Jason for one, an unstoppable killing machine. She sighed to herself, taking note of the filthy and ragged clothes they were both wearing, the same rags as the day in which they'd been captured.

But what stood out to her more than that... Rowan zoomed in on the cameras, taking note of the very fresh injection marks on Lisa's arm. No tests had been authorized since last weak.

"He better not be running his tests on them!" she hissed to herself, "not again!"

As the woman swept out of the room and down the cell block, she didn't notice Cody's laboratory assistant, Cornell, watching her from the shadows. He spied on Rowan as she faced Jason's and Lisa's cell door, deliberating if she should open the sliding peep slat or not.

Finally, Rowan steeled herself. She needed some answers. As soon as the small slat slid open, Rowan was met immediately with two harsh glowers. From inside their cell, Jason and Lisa both straightened up from where they had been on the floor. Despite Jason's uneasy footing due to the heavy sedatives he'd been given earlier, he was still quite terrifying as he lumbered forward. Wisely, Rowan backed away, ensuring that neither one of them could reach her through the little peep slit.

"I'm not here to take you out for more tests, I just want to ask about something." explained Rowan.

Lisa let out a silent but threatening hiss at the other woman. After waiting a moment, ensuring that no soldiers armed with cattle prods and tranquilizer rifles were storming into their cell, she patted Jason's shoulder, signaling him to stand down while she approached the door. Her eerie, sea green eyes glared at Rowan from beneath her mess of matted brown hair.

"What do you want?!" she mouthed, silently while crossing her arms in a defiant posture.

Even with a four inch thick steel door between herself at the deadly pair of killers, Rowan did her best to hide any fear she felt in that moment. She couldn't afford to display any weakness, lest she end up like her predecessors.

"I what to know who did that to you." Rowan questioned, gesturing to the fresh wounds on Lisa's arms.

***The Town of Crystal Lake, sometime in the evening***

It had taken much longer to reach the small New Jersey town then Blake originally anticipated, however keeping to winding back roads and meticulously obeying the speed limits to avoid unwanted attention was worlds better than getting pulled over. At once, she could feel Thomas' anxiousness spike as he was again exposed to a setting in which he was not at all comfortable in. Unlike Springwood which had become mostly deserted, Crystal Lake seemed much more lively.

"Shhhhh... easy now, sweet giant." Blake whispered, in a soothing voice while running her hand through Thomas' thick, long mane of hair.

Thomas was once again trying to do his best at camouflaging himself into the seat, an act at which he unfortunately failed miserably. There were more people out on the streets, most of which were headed to the local watering holes or to their vehicles, presumably to return to their campsites at Crystal Lake. However unlike the last time Blake and her father had been there, it had seemed as though Jason Voorhees had gone from an urban legend and campfire story to a tourist trap and mock mascot, as Blake noted passing by a rather tacky gift shop with fake hockey masks and cheap plastic machetes in the window.

There were adds posted on various places of business for "Terror Tours" of the infamous campground and party dates at the lake just to name a few. The town itself, while much more active, also seemed a lot more dirty and disorganized, especially with the influx of lazy and irresponsible teens and young adults simply dumping off their trash where it was most convenient for them, being loud and obnoxious, and some of the more brazen individuals doing illicit activities right in plain sight.

_'I think there's something different about this place.' _muttered the spirit of Blake's father, as his canine host steadied himself on the console between his mistress and Thomas with this front paws.

Once again, Thomas cast the German Shepherd a suspicious glance, but gave Toby a scratch on the ears and under the chin regardless.

_'Too many people. Dangerous for pretty Blake and Thomas.' _the massive brute grunted, mentally.

While he knew Blake didn't like it when he killed people, all Thomas needed was the tiniest of an excuse. All of these people were making him uncomfortable. Growling softly, the massive brute tore his gaze away as his breathing quickened. Only Blake's gentle voice seemed to be able to calm him down.

"W-we won't be here long," Blake reassured the nervous wreck of a man, "B-but we'll need t-to stop and pick up a-a few things. I-I don't know how l-long we'll be at the campgrounds."

Stopping... wonderful. Just what Thomas was hoping to avoid. But there was no denying that despite what they'd been able to salvage from Blake's old home, they needed more supplies for an extended outdoor stay. Blake wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of making a pit stop either, but to press onward without doing so would have been foolhardy to say the least. While renting a room at one of the local motels crossed her mind at one point, she wasn't sure how well he'd be able to take being in proximity to boisterous and rude people for extended periods of time before firing up his chainsaw.

_'What... what am I even looking for? I-I don't even know exactly where to start!' _Blake mentally sighed to herself, with exasperation.

All she had to go on was a gut feeling and some cryptic visions. However, the deeper into town she got, the more and more she felt a looming presence of dread that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. As she remembered well from prior visits, the townspeople thought that the town, and in particular Crystal Lake, had a touch of evil upon it. Yet Blake never felt such a thing while she was there. More then likely because she saw Jason as her savior and protector rather than a psychopathic murderer.

Eventually, Blake pulled over in the S-Mart parking lot, lamenting sadly that at one time this place was a charming little mom and pop grocery store. Leave it to the massive chain companies and big box stores to push their much smaller competition into the gutter and take over. Still, it was a place to find some camping gear for a reasonable price and S-Mart was always open.

"Thomas... y-you don't have to c-come in... if you don't want to." Blake reassured the beast of a man, "I'll-I'll take Toby in with me."

Before the young psychic could leave her car, Thomas gently put his hand on her shoulder and took in several deep breaths, _'Tommy goes where Blake goes.'_

The way he glanced up at the blue and red neon signage and surveyed the parking lot, one would think that perhaps he was mentally preparing himself to storm the gates of Hell itself.

"It's just S-Mart, not a slaughterhouse." Blake said, with a slight smile.

Of course, not all was perfect in paradise. Blake had to remind Thomas of why he couldn't just haul his chainsaw around with him in town, and for that matter his leather slaughtering apron with his wide variety of alternate weapons had to stay behind as well. Although Blake surmised that Lucian's old cane was one way to smuggle in a weapon, as with the still fresh wounds on her body she'd be able to play the "but I need it for mobility" card if confronted about it. Meanwhile Thomas concealed a smaller selection of his usual arsenal in his thankfully spacious pockets.

The store itself was blessedly not too busy, just some groups of teens doing a junk food run along with a few night owls with nothing better to do. But upon stepping foot into S-Mart, the image before Blake changed; it was brighter and the layout of the store was different. Faintly, she could hear someone let out a stifled cry of pain and a woman rush past. The psychic had a hard time making out the woman's face, however a flashing vision of the same blonde boy she'd previously seen in her dreams appeared in front of the girl. Residual anger and grief hung thick in the air. Before the vision ended, she caught a glimpse of that boy accepting something from none other than Lucian Rake.

With a sharp gasp, Blake returned to the present. She leaned against the shopping basket for support, feeling as though she'd just run a mile non-stop. However, as Thomas checked over her, the brute found himself quite alarmed when he noticed that he and Blake were confronted by a group of four collage-age coeds.

"Dude, the fuck are you supposed to be?" snickered one of them, a perfect representation of a 'meathead'.

"Wrong mask," commented the brunette female of their little group, "But just get yourself a hockey mask and I'm sure you'd nail the role of Jason on that shitty Camp Blood tour."

_'Certainly ugly enough to be Jason.' _ran through the mind of a much smaller man wearing glasses.

"Leave him alone!" Blake hissed, quietly as she caught her breath.

Before the group could do anything more to harass them, Toby stepped forward and placed himself between them and his mistress. While he didn't growl or bare teeth, it was clear that the dog assumed a defensive posture.

"Fuck Jason. Fuck Camp Blood. And fuck this dumb mutt. Let's just get some beer." sighed the fourth member of their friends group, a boy with poorly dyed hair that looked like he was still clinging to his edgy middle school emo ways.

Deciding wisely not to push the protective canine or the man clearly twice their size any further the rest of the group collectively just snickered among themselves and slunk by, casting Thomas and Blake odd looks before disappearing down another aisle.

Already Blake could tell that bringing Thomas in with her may have been a mistake, as she knew that the urge to see their lifeless and mangled corpses hanging off of meat hooks in a dingy basement was not her own. The huge killer's knuckles had turned white and she knew he wanted to give chase. People like that tended to have short lifespans at the Hewitt household... but they weren't in Texas anymore.

"Let them be, Thomas," Blake whispered, "T-they may be jerks but even they don't deserve that."

While their cruel jeers struck a nerve with her as well, the psychic ignored them, focusing on the task at hand. After wandering around the store for a bit, even letting a few people pet Toby just to ease the thickening tension she felt in the air, Blake had picked up some warmer jackets for herself a Thomas, before finding herself looking down the aisle of baby supplies. A firm reminder of the strict clock she was on. Soon enough, she'd need to start preparations for her child. Bedding, clothing, diapers, toys, books, bottles, just to name some of what she'd need. But right now, she didn't have a real home, not one that was safe, anyways. Perhaps they might have to survive in a motel room for a while after all... but then what? What if Thomas eventually snapped and killed someone in town?

Trying not to think about such scenarios since she already had enough on her plate, Blake made her way to the outdoors section. She grabbed some sleeping bags and various camping equipment like rope, matches, a first aid kit, and some flashlights. When they found themselves nearing the sporting goods department, another vision flashed before the psychic's eyes as she found herself looking at a crossbow hanging on the rack behind a thick glass security case.

Blake, at about seventeen years old, and her father were in the forest surrounding Crystal Lake. Beside them were none other than Jason and Lisa, handing the father and daughter pair weapons and supplies, including a crossbow, something wrapped in a brown cloth that Lisa hadn't been too thrilled about handling, and some damaged but still serviceable body armor vests to load into a footlocker. She remembered this day... it was the last time she'd seen Jason and Lisa. The small group carried the emergency stash further into the woods, eventually settling on a site to bury it for a rainy day. Once the deed was done, Tobias and Jason shook hands, an act that would have meant certain death for most people.

Smirking too herself, remembering the location of her father's buried treasure trove, Blake snapped out of her vision. Lightly patting Thomas' arm, she said, "I've just remembered something... when we get to the camp, I know where we need to go first."

However, before she could pick out the rest of their supplies and head to checkout, the girl felt a strangely familiar presence at the sound of the door chime going off. Thomas glanced around, worried that it might be more people (or rather meat bags to him) come to torment them and make this nightmare even longer.

_'Kitten!' _Tobias' spirit whispered.

Without much warning, Toby suddenly took off, dragging his leash behind him as he rounded a corner. Despite Blake mentally commanding the dog to return, just as with the multiple "Sheriff Hoyt Incidents", Toby didn't listen, as the spirit possessing him had taken over.

_'Daddy! I thought I asked you to quit doing that!' _Blake groaned internally, as she and Thomas trotted after the wayward German Shepherd, "Toby! Toby, get back here you fuzzy-"

She didn't even have a chance to finish that sentence. As the pair followed Toby's path, they didn't have too far to get until they found him. Apparently the German Shepherd was making friends with a man wearing a blue shirt, brown slacks, and work boots. His head was down and he knelt as he playfully patted Toby's shoulders and head. It was then Blake noticed the man's right hand; it looked metallic... robotic. By his side was a mid-sized duffel bag, one that she very much remembered the contents of.

"Hey there boy. You know, you're a lot better behaved then the people that usually frequent this place. Better looking, too. Shop Smart, shop S-Mart, huh?" the steel-handed man laughed, before taking a look at the tags on Toby's harness.

At once, his laughter stopped and he finally looked up, his eyes now as wide and surprised as Blake's were. It was quite likely that his well-chiseled jawline could have hit the floor. Confused, Thomas glanced down to the girl by his side. Did these two... know each other?

"Ash?!" Blake questioned, as her mouth turned completely dry.

"Blake?!"

"What are you doing here?!" Blake and Ash asked each other in unison.

**::To Be Continued::**

**Author's Notes:: **

From here, the plot thickens. Starting with Cody, Miranda, and the revelation that Cody is in possession of one of the most powerful artifacts of evil in all history. Also a little bit more info on how he got his hands on the Necronomicon in the first place. Also, I didn't just pick the date "1300 AD" out of a hat, that was in fact the time Ash Williams got sent to when he was sucked into the time portal at the end of Evil Dead 2.

I figured it's been a while since we visited Jason and Lisa. Being locked in a metal room with no windows could have very damaging effects on one's mind. Not to mention Rowan is growing more and more suspicious about the strange things going on around the facility.

Blake is having some odd cravings, as pregnant women often have. But she better satisfy it while she can, because it's onward to Crystal Lake. Again, Thomas would be extremely uncomfortable here, especially going into the S-Mart. (To him, that IS the gates of Hell.)

And for those of you wondering, YES, I have made mention of Blake and Ash Williams knowing each other, Chapter 4 of Just Misunderstood,

"(Some time ago, she had met a man that claimed to have sliced off his own right hand with a chainsaw, telling her it had been possessed by a demon, then later fitted the deadly piece of hardware as a prosthetic for his missing hand. Funny thing though, Blake actually believed him.) "

So yes, they have met before! Both of them can relate over being hounded by evil. I know, I know, I left you guys on a terrible cliffhanger.

Just some other things, while I LOVE this story and Just Misunderstood, (Blake is my baby,) I've taken a long, hard look at my life as it currently stands and I haven't been happy with what I'm seeing. Struggling financially, mentally/emotionally, and sometimes physically. Recently, I dug up some of my old, OLD completely original (I.E, not fanfiction) writings from around 10+ years ago. (My D&D days were filled with cringe, I swear! lol) While I love fanfiction, it's something that I can only do for fun/a hobby because I can't make money off of it. So, I'm thinking that I need to look into world-building/creation of my own original content since it's a jumbled mess up in my head that just needs to be streamlined to paper/computer. (This is the kind of stuff I wouldn't be posting... anywhere.)

What would you think if I actually wrote/published a book?

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


	5. Night of the Living Deadites

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

**Chapter 5: Night of the Living Deadites**

Blake's mouth still felt as thought she'd tried swallowing a glass of sand. First a vision of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, now she and Thomas were standing less than ten feet away from the man who'd fought to keep it's evil contained for the last thirty or so years. Of course, despite the fact that Blake knew this man's name, Thomas still eyed him with great distrust from behind his long, dark mane.

_'Easy Tommy. I-it's okay, I know him.' _Blake whispered, mentally to the behemoth at her side, _'He's a friend.'_

Ash gave Toby another scratch on the head before standing up, not once taking his eyes off of Blake or the massive and noticeably agitated brute next to her. With a slight bark, Toby trotted back to his mistress, looking quite proud of himself.

"I asked first... what are you doing here? I don't know if you're aware or not," Ash began, taking a moment to glance at the camping gear loaded in the psychic's shopping cart, "But Camp Crystal Lake ain't exactly a good vacation spot under normal circumstances." he stressed, before glancing around the store aisle nervously, as though he were expecting something bad to happen at any second, _'Shit, shit, why is she here... now?! Does she know it was stolen from me? It wasn't my fault... I was plastered! Totally wasn't my fault... and when did Blake start to look so fine?! She's gotta be over eighteen now... plus I don't see her father anywhere. But who in the hell is the Sasquatch?' _

Blake's expression slowly changed into a quizzical one as she ceased stroking Toby's ears and defiantly crossed her arms. It was then did Ash realize that even though he'd never said that last part aloud... he didn't have too. Not around her, anyways.

"Did you forget that I can hear your thoughts, Mr. Williams?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ummm... y-yeah, I uh... I actually did." admitted Ash, sheepishly, _'Stop thinking, stop thinking, stop fucking thinking, shoot first, think never... no, not here you dumbass...'_

_'By the way... his name is Thomas.' _Blake mentioned to Ash, telepathically as she gestured to the brute, _'And he can be a little sensitive.' _

Thomas let out a grunt, shuddering slightly at the inexplicable cold breeze that flowed through the nearly deserted store. He was already uncomfortable enough being in this place. Blake had never mentioned this man before, only Jason and Lisa. Therefor, he didn't like him... or his surprisingly charming face.

_'Bad friend. Kill him now?' _he gruffed at Blake, hopefully.

"Thomas!" hissed Blake, quietly, "Be nice..."

After taking another nervous look around, Ash stepped forward, though he made sure to keep out of Thomas' reach.

"Look kiddo, I know it's been a while and you'd probably like to catch up, but all Hell is about to break loose. I'd suggest taking Cujo there and Sasqu-er-Thomas and gettin' the Hell outta Dodge..." he warned.

"Ash... I-I know about the Necronomicon..." Blake mentioned, quietly, "m-meet us i-in the parking lot, I-I have something to show you. W-we can help each other."

Ash felt his blood turn to ice. She knew? (Of course she knew, she was a fucking psychic, after all.) Was Blake out here for the sole purpose of hunting down that accursed tome? There wasn't just the deadite threat, but Jason... Jason fucking Voorhees! The infamous Revenant that couldn't be killed. No... it was too risky, even with her faithful dog and massive bodyguard. Blake was the only one to ever believe the truth about him... why he was forced to do the horrible things he did. (And all because of that evil spell book he stumbled across in a shabby cabin in the woods.)

"N-no... no. Fuck... fuck... coming here was a mistake," Ash said, anxiously as he backed away, "You know as well as I do... if Jason Voorhees doesn't find you... those fuckin' bastards will! Find somewhere... preferably far from here, and just lay low. That's what I should have done in the first place," he added, _'That fuckin' thing shouldn't be my problem anymore anyway.' _

"Ash... wait! Y-you came here for a reason, y-you can't just leave now," Blake called, taking a few tentative steps after her friend, _'Y-you know as well as I do t-that y-you can't outrun Evil.' _

"Watch me!" Ash challenged, turning away and making a beeline toward the S-Mart exit.

Toby whined softly, tail swaying slowly before lowering. For a moment, Blake considered sending the German Shepherd after him... perhaps she'd be able to get him to reconsider. Thomas just glared after the man, relieved once he was out of eyesight.

_'Not nice... but good meat.' _

"Thomas... I told you... y-you can't... d-do that anymore." Blake sighed, leading the way towards the checkout stands, "B-but... -sigh-... I-I t-thought he might be able to help us."

While there was a part of her that wanted to scream at Ash for being a total coward and shirking off his responsibility for the Necronomicon and the part he'd more than likely played in letting it fall into the wrong hands... she couldn't entirely blame him either. Knowing the absolute horrors he'd faced and the tough decisions that no one should ever be forced to make. It was no wonder he ended up turning to alcohol and good ol' "Devil's Lettuce" to numb the pain (a fact that made her wince a little when she thought about Jason as well, considering he'd been driven to kill for less.)

_'Just give him time, Kitten... he'll come around.' _Tobias' spirit whispered, somberly.

"Time i-is something we don't have in abundance." answered Blake, as she ran her hand over her midsection.

*Outside in the Parking Lot*

Ash speed walked out the automatic doors, picking up the pace further as he muttered to himself, "Damn it... why'd that psychic chick with the strange eyes have to show up here? Now?! Well if she's smart, she'll bail... like me. Yup, I am so done with that fuckin' book... let someone else deal with it."

He stopped in front of his yellow Oldsmobile Delta, which was obscured in the shadows. But before he could unlock the door, his conscious caught up with him and he stopped. Just what was he really doing? The more he tried to justify his actions to himself, the more and more guilt began to eat at his soul. Perhaps what upset him more than anything was that Blake was a kind, gentle, caring person who saw the best in him. Who saw the fiend slayer and hero rather than "Ashy Slashy", the psycho who murdered his sister, girlfriend, and friends in a deep woods cabin. The Necronomicon was in the hands of someone else due to his severe lapse in judgment... someone with malicious intentions, and now when he was needed most he chose to flee with his tail between his legs.

A chill filled the air, more so then what the nearly Autumn wind would bring. And with it, Ash caught the distinct smell of decay. When he gazed back towards the brightly lit doors, the disgraced demon killer noticed a woman with dirty blonde hair enter the store. At once, a painfully familiar hunch nagged at him to the very core as his robotic hand tightened into a fist.

"Hey... heheh... Blake is a psychic after all, maybe she'll be able to pick out some winning lottery numbers for me," Ash reasoned with himself, before opening up his bag and pulling out a custom made leather harness with a back holster, "Once all this shit blows over, anyway. If we're still alive."

Taking in a deep breath, he withdrew the sawed-off shotgun out of the duffel and slung it into the holster strapped to his back. Hopefully, his trusty "Boomstick" would be enough. But if not, he still carried the weapon that garnered his unwanted nickname. Detaching his robotic hand, revealing the amputated stump and coupling mechanisms attached, Ash pulled out his one-of-a-kind chainsaw, specifically designed to be mounted on what remained of his wrist. With a twist and snap, the deadly blade locked into place.

"Groovy."

*Back inside the S-Mart*

Meanwhile, Blake picked the line that just opened up and did her best to keep a rather moody Thomas calm while the same group of young adults they'd encountered earlier stood in the queue behind them and began snickering and making comments to each other. As the two of them ignored their unwanted admirers and unloaded their items onto the belt while Toby kept the rowdy group at bay, the dog slowly abandoned his post, gazing up at the woman working the checkout stand before curling his muzzle into a growl.

Something quickly began to feel horribly off to Blake as bile threatened to rise in her throat. The air turned icy cold, suffocating even, and when her mismatched eyes met with those of the cashier checking them out, she froze as yet another vision struck. Blake had seen this woman before! Long ago, more or less in passing, in this very place! Back when it was Mias' Grocers. However, the image in her vision took a turn as she heard a disembodied female voice screaming for help and the strong scent of death filled her nose.

Breaking free from the vision and finding herself back in the present, Blake shivered from the cold sweat that covered her body as she noticed the name tag pinned to the cashier's blouse; "Delia" "Manager". Come to think of it, she wasn't wearing the S-Mart smock that employees usually did either.

"Did you find everything okay?" Delia asked, in a tainted sweet voice as she continued to ring up Blake's purchases, yet stealthily slipped the small sledgehammer aside.

Thomas moved to Blake's side to check that she was alright, but took a closer look at Toby, then back to Blake, who had her hand resting on the top of her cane, ready to draw the concealed saber.

_'Thomas!' _Blake mentally whispered, while her body began to tremble, _'S-she's not human! S-she's one of t-those things I-I warned you about!'_

At once, Thomas eyed the cashier, "Delia", with suspicion. The woman on the other side of the counter continued to smile pleasantly, however it became obvious that it was forced as it began to twist and contort unnaturally. Of course, the boisterous group in line behind them were too preoccupied with themselves to notice anything until Toby began to bark and snarl menacingly at Delia while the lights overhead started to flicker.

"Will that be cash, card," Delia asked, as her voice began to turn into a deep, raspy snarl, "OR YOUR SOUL?!"

In the blink of an eye, Delia had already leaped up onto the counter, taking a swing with the small sledgehammer she'd set aside earlier. When Blake raised Lucian's cane to intercept the attack, partially drawing the concealed blade as she did, her mismatched eyes widened in horror, seeing the horrific monstrosity before her. "Delia's" flesh and skin peeled from bone in places, leaving blood and putrid puss to ooze out. Fingernails hardened and thickened, becoming grotesque talons, while her teeth became jagged, rotting fangs. But perhaps the most terrifying sight were her eyes... those pale, sunken in, milky white soulless eyes!

When the fiend let out a savage hiss, sizing up Thomas next, Blake could feel his terror as her own. For a split second, Thomas was paralyzed in fear, not comprehending how to process what he was seeing. A corpse; it smelled like one. Looked like one... yet it moved with alarming speed, spoke... and was trying to kill his wife with a hammer!

_'My pretty Blake!' _Thomas' inner voice screamed at him.

His initial shock passing quickly upon registering the danger his wife was in, Thomas pushed Blake out of harm's way and grappled the deadite's arm in one hand and reached for a concealed meat hook with the other. Meanwhile, the group of collage kids that had been behind them in line began to scream and panic, dropping their cases of beer and tripping over themselves and some nearby displays in their haste to escape.

"Dear God, what the FUCK is that thing?!" screamed the brunette woman.

"Who the fuck cares?! Let those two keep it busy while we get the hell out of here!" shouted the largest of their group, as he nearly stumbled over his nerdy friend during his frantic race for the automatic doors.

While Toby shifted his position to stand in front of Blake while she recovered from Thomas' shove, the German Shepherd continued to bark and bare his teeth in a threatening display. No longer able to hold the bile in, Blake threw up. She glanced up as she wiped her mouth and let out a frightened gasp.

Thomas had a hard time keeping his hold of the creature, as despite it's wiry frame it was surprisingly strong. Laughing and screeching, the deadite grinned at the huge man attempting to manhandle it into submission.

"Did no one ever tell you?" mocked the fiend, "There's no dumb animals allowed in the store!"

At once, Thomas felt a painfully familiar fury that made his blood boil. The massive man swung his meat hook, managing to rip off a chunk of Delia's flesh with it. Screeching like a banshee, the deadite backhanded Thomas with incredible force, sending him stumbling backward into the neighboring checkout stand, before launching herself into the air. Toby let out a loud snarl and tried to leap up onto the counter, gnashing his teeth while his eyes fixated on the demon above him. With the lights throughout the store flickering like a strobe, Delia scuttled across the ceiling like an over-sized spider, hissing and spitting angrily.

"T-Thomas!" Blake cried out, doing her best to spit the sour taste out of her mouth as she finally found her footing, "A-are you-?"

Before she could finish, Thomas' head snapped towards Blake as a frightened whimper escaped his throat. His body trembled and his fist clenched tightly around the bloody meat hook still in his hand. Thankfully, he was able to stand after the assault he'd endured, but it was obvious that the beast of a man was terribly shaken.

_'Dead... dead but living...' _he panted, his mind's voice sounding panicked, _'Evil... harm pretty Blake.'_

_'Easy, my sweet giant.'_ Blake whispered, trying to keep both herself and the brute calm, _'W-when that thing comes back, aim for it's head.' _she advised, drawing her blade in it's entirety.

Toby let out another sharp bark, abandoning the checkout counter to join his mistress' side. The group of young adults tried to leave the store, but just as the exit seemed to be in reach, the demon dropped down from the ceiling, blocking off the way out and letting out another inhuman screech. Delia lashed out at the nearest target, her talons tearing through the geeky-looking boy's neck as though it were tissue paper. The startled boy gaped, choking on his own blood and eyes widening in shock as he collapsed and convulsed.

Next, Delia swung the hammer she still had in her hand at the meathead jock, the one who had the initial plan to leave while the deadite was focused on Thomas and Blake. He'd attempted to take a punch at her, only to wind up getting a nasty bite on his fist, followed by a broken arm as the deadite tossed him into a nearby shelf loaded with cases of beer, causing it and everything on it to come crashing down on top of the unlucky sap. She laughed maniacally, levitating into the air. Her pale, white eyes skipped over the two remaining coeds as they screamed and scrambled backward, moving then to Thomas, and finally locking onto Blake.

"Oh? What's this? Two for the price of one?!" hissed the deadite, as she bared her teeth.

Before she could begin her next round, Delia's attention was momentarily taken off her targets when the door chime dinged behind her. As soon as the fiend turned around to face the intruder, a loud 'BOOM' echoed through the store. Screeching and spitting, the demon crashed to the cold floor, leaking putrid, sticky blood and puss all over the place.

"Too bad your coupon expired, you ugly bitch!" Ash quipped, readying the second round of his shotgun.

A small smile crossed Blake's face; Ash came back to help fight! Growling, the deadite glared from Blake, then to Ash. When she raised the hammer to lob at him instead, another deafening 'BOOM' echoed throughout the S-Mart. This time, her entire right forearm had been torn off from the shotgun blast, leaving the bloody appendage with the small sledgehammer still in it's grasp to slide down the floor.

_'Now's our chance!' _Blake mentally commanded.

Toby gnashed his teeth, the fur on his hackles spiking, as he and Thomas charged the deadite together, Blake following close behind them. As Thomas knelt down to scoop up the bloody sledgehammer with his free hand, sliding along the floor, he stayed down long enough for Toby to utilize his back as a ramp, allowing the dog to vault towards the deadite and drag her to the ground. While the German Shepherd viciously bit and tore at Delia's ankles and legs, Thomas got back to his feet and jabbed his meat hook into the fiend's breast and yanked, pulling her towards him while swinging the hammer at her head. The first strike only managed to dent the floor, as Delia moved her head to an unnatural angle, cracking her vertebra as she did. Snarling like a rabid beast, the deadite clawed at Thomas' arms in an attempt to lock him in a grapple while at the same time tried to kick Toby off of her.

Trembling, Blake lifted her saber to bring down on the gnashing fiend's crooked neck. She couldn't help but feel a painful nagging in her gut; that this used to be a person... used to be. Whatever she was now, it was too far gone. The idea of taking lives usually repulsed Blake... but this thing wasn't really alive!

_'Hold her steady, Thomas!' _

The young psychic brought her blade down upon the fiend, slashing it's neck open. Thick, pungent blood spewed from the wound, spraying both Blake and Thomas. However she lacked the physical strength to sever the flesh and bone with a single swing. Even once Thomas attempted to finish the job, Delia just continued to laugh maniacally, squirming out from under her captor's hold, heedless of the flesh wounds she was causing to her own body as she did so, before vanishing among the flickering lights while the store fell eerily silent.

Snorting like a bull, Thomas glared around the deserted S-Mart, taking a moment to give Ash an untrusting stare while Toby shook himself off and growled, pinning his ears against his skull.

"How many of these ugly bastards we got?!" Ash questioned, as he took the opportunity to reload his shotgun.

Before Blake could answer, the lights flickered overhead once more as a loud crashing sound could be heard coming from where Delia had previously tossed the collage kid jock aside like a rag doll. His body hadn't been where it was just a second ago. A terrified shriek broke the silence shortly after from a few aisles over, followed by the sound of flesh and bone being torn and splattered.

Simultaneously, a separate demonic snarl originating from right beside Ash echoed throughout the store. The fiend slayer let out a startled yell and jumped, nearly loosing his balance on a stray can of beer that rolled underfoot. This new deadite, inhabiting the body of the geeky coed with the slashed neck, grabbed the barrel of Ash's Boomstick, forcing it up toward the ceiling as a shot was fired.

"More than one!" Blake cried out, her voice painfully dry by now.

"So it would seem!" Ash called back, his voice equally strained as he wrestled for control of his firearm.

Just as Blake was about to direct Thomas and Toby both to assist Ash, she let out a scream of her own, pointing to the shadows behind Thomas, "Tommy, behind you!"

At Blake's warning, Thomas turned around, slicing the air with his meat hook as he did, only to miss his intended target and take a heavy blow to the face. More demonic laughter filled the store as the massive brute stumbled backwards, slightly dazed, and slipped on the mixture of thick, oily blood and spilled beer that spread across the smooth tile floors. Blake let out a cry of pain, feeling her cheek in the same place Thomas had been hit, before the ache in her back and rear end struck, more than likely a result of Thomas' fall. There stood the former collage jock, uncaring of his obviously broken arm, casually swinging his girlfriend's head by the hair while what remained of her bloody spine dripped all over the floor.

"Awwww... did the big dumb-dumb get a boo-boo?" asked the deadite jock, in a tone of mock sympathy before kissing the severed head in his hand, "Want me to kiss it and make it all better?! AHAHAAAAAAA! Didn't exactly work for her, but I can always try!"

Toby growled, ready to rush fourth at Blake's command, however before she could give it, the girl found herself shoved to the ground from seemingly out of nowhere. She felt the wind knocked out of her lungs and her ears rang painfully. Blindly, the psychic swung the cane sheath through the air, only to have it knocked aside while a grimy, clammy hand gripped around her other wrist like an iron shackle, forcing her to drop the saber mid-swing. In the flickering lights, Blake could make out Delia's grinning visage uncomfortably close to her face. Toby lunged at the demon, only to get a swift and impossibly well-placed kick to the chest as the deadite's leg bones twisted and contorted then snapped right back into place. The dog let out a pained yelp while he slid across the floor.

_'Toby! Daddy!' _Blake called out, mentally.

_'Kitten! Hold on!' _Tobias' voice rang out in Blake's mind.

Thomas struggled to get back to his feet to assist his wife, only to have the deadite tormenting him block his path. He was struck with the severed head once more, sending him reeling backward. Just as the massive brute got to his hands and knees to steady himself, his deadite attacker jumped on his back, as though going for Hell's version of a piggy-back ride, laughing maniacally all the way.

***Ash***

On Ash's part of the store floor-turned-battlefield, the demon killer and deadite fought for control of the shotgun, jerking back and fourth, dancing in circles, and once the second shot was fired into the flickering lights above, the deadite let out mocking, screeching laughter as it tossed the firearm aside and shoved Ash into a nearby shelf, almost causing it to tip over.

"Oh shit!" Ash gasped, fighting once again to right himself.

His deadite opponent quickly snatched up one of the cans of beer that had been rolling on the floor, cracking a devilish grin as he popped the top with a grotesque talon.

"Care to pound a few brewskies with us?" cackled the geeky deadite, right before slamming the still frothing beer can right into the side of Ash's head.

"Hey! That was a perfectly good can of beer, you asshole!" Ash howled, momentarily holding his head in pain, "Okay... so you have a little party trick? Huh? Ready to see mine?!"

As he got back to his feet, Ash slid the notch of his chainsaw's cord into a nook attached to his harness and back holster, allowing him the fire up his deadly, wrist-mounted blade with minimal fuss. The chainsaw's blade whirred to life, a sound that had become more than familiar with the brute and psychic he allied himself with.

"Aha? Yeah, how do ya like that?!" Ash challenged, feinting a few times before swinging at the demon's neck.

"Wait! Wait!"

The deadite wailed as it threw up it's hands in front of it's face. When the trembling fiend looked up, all the blood, scabbing, and notably, the milky white eyes were gone. It just looked like the nerdy, geeky boy he'd been not twenty minutes ago before this whole can of worms exploded.

"Y-you wouldn't hit a guy with glasses... w-would you, mister?"

Ash's eyes narrowed, revving the chainsaw's engine a few more times, "Would I ever?"

Knowing that it's last ditch effort failed, the deadite reverted back into it's true self and lunged. While the demon attempted to duck low and take out his opponent's legs, Ash was surprisingly spry, dodging the fiend's attack before driving his blade through it's back. Hard, steel teeth ripped and tore through the deadite's host body, causing it to cry out in agony as it struggled to escape. Ash never let up, even as he was sprayed with blood, chunks of innards, and bone fragments. He ended his bloody rampage with a violent decapitation, leaving the mortal body useless to the fiend inhabiting it.

With his deadite vanquished, Ash turned off his chainsaw and reclaimed his trusty Boomstick. Surveying the battlefield, his expression fell.

_'No... not you, kiddo... not you, Blake...' _

***Blake***

Meanwhile, Blake struggled against Delia's hold, but the deadite held her firmly in place. She felt dizzy, her eyes unfocused from the haze swirling in her mind as cold sweat covered her body... the nausea... the effects from being so close to evil incarnate. Thick, oily blood dribbled and congealed from the wound on the fiend's neck, causing Blake to gag.

The deadite grinned, her face so close to Blake's that the young psychic could smell Delia's putrid breath, count the fiend's rotting teeth if she had the mind to do so. Despite the fact that Ash had blown off it's right arm earlier, Blake could still feel as though 'something' were touching her belly. At once, Blake's breath picked up as her body shook.

"I'll swallow your souls!" Delia hissed, her pale white eyes darting down to Blake's midsection.

Before the demon made it's move, Blake jabbed her free hand right into the fresh neck wound and grasped, causing it to balk and gasp in surprise. Even the noise of Ash's chainsaw seemed to fade... the sight of Thomas dislodging his unwanted rider out of the corner of her eye. In this split second, none of that even mattered to her. A fire ignited in Blake's eyes as she glared down the fiend. Only now did Delia realize the mistake she'd made.

"Don't you FUCKING touch her, you loathsome cockroach!" Blake cried out, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

Pain, anger, and a new vigor filled the psychic's body and mind, once again feeling her thoughts melding with Thomas'. Blake's grip on the fiend tightened, creating a nasty squelching noise as more thick, black blood oozed from the deadite's neck wound. Before Delia could retaliate, Toby bounded forward and tackled the fiend to the ground, snarling savagely as he bit and tore at her festering flesh. Blake quickly picked the saber back up, holding it in both hands before bringing it down on the wretched fiend.

The demon let out a wheezing cry of agony, trying to grasp Blake's ankles and take her feet out from under her. Toby let out another bark, shifting position to bite down on Delia's wrist and hold the arm prone for his mistress. With another spray of putrid blood with each swing of the blade, Blake eventually took off Delia's other arm before wailing on the prone fiend without mercy. Slicing. Stabbing. Chopping. Kicking. Punching. Even Toby knew when to back off. All the while, Blake's screams of fury rivaled the roar of Ash's chainsaw or the deadites' own shrill cries. By the time she was done, there was hardly anything recognizable.

_'Thomas!' _Blake's mind's voice cried out, as she fell to her knees beside the deadite corpse she'd created.

Her hand curled around something small she'd retrieved from the bloody, mangled remains; the name tag.

***Thomas***

A low growl rumbled in Thomas' chest as he thrashed, furiously trying to dislodge the deadite clinging to his back. This only caused his attacker to tighten it's hold and dig in it's talons, threatening to tear through his clothes and onto his flesh. The fiend continued to laugh in a haunting, shrill tone, swinging the severed head and spine it carried, occasionally smacking Thomas with it.

"That's it, ride em', cowboy! Ahahahaaaaaaa!" jeered the deadite, gleefully as it reared back it's head.

Just as the deadite was about to sink it's rotting fangs into the back of Thomas' neck, it suddenly found itself slammed against the cold, hard ground. In his wild thrashing, Thomas threw himself backwards unexpectedly, crushing the demon beneath his bulk. His ears began to ring and his vision blurred, if only for a moment. While his thoughts raced, the massive brute could already feel Blake's vigor... her fury, the kind of fury a mamma bear unleashed when protecting her cub.

_'Must protect... my pretty Blake! My... baby!' _seethed through Thomas' mind.

Thomas saw the blood spray and spatter from each hit with the saber as though he were the one swinging it, only he was witnessing it from much lower to the ground. The female deadite was on the floor, shrieking in agony as it's other arm was removed before Blake went completely medieval on the rest of it's body. While viewing the world from Blake's perspective, the beast of a man hadn't even realized that he'd rolled off of his own deadite and had pounded it's skull and brains into a pulpy stew with his sledgehammer.

The rest of the body twitched, but eventually lay still. However, Thomas didn't feel the usual rush he'd felt when making a kill. He wasn't the hunter, he was the prey, an unsettling feeling he'd had very few times in his life. A feeling the massive brute never wanted to experience again.

_'Thomas!' _called Blake's voice, as it echoed in his mind.

He perked up, hearing his love's voice call his name. She was okay, but there was no telling for how long. Thomas could see her in that familiar trance. The girl was in his mind, seeing through his eyes, but while that position combined their strength, it also left Blake's body vulnerable. As Toby began to bark once more, moving in front of Blake, Thomas' gaze turned to Ash, quickly taking notice of how the demon killer's hands trembled as he reloaded his shotgun.

Ash had a difficult time making out what was wrong with Blake when he saw her kneeling beside the mangled corpse of the female deadite. The girl's mismatched eyes had turned white, however she didn't display any of the other usual symptoms of being possessed by a deadite. Hell, she hadn't hardly moved! Yet, she didn't respond to him either. Toby remained by Blake's side, placing himself between Ash and his mistress. But this too could have easily been a deadite ploy.

"Blake? Blake! Come on, kid... please don't be one of them ugly bastards!" Ash pleaded, squinting against the flickering overhead lights.

Those that lived long enough through multiple encounters with deadites quickly learned how tricky they could be. Taking on the forms of loved ones, friends, family, even pets. Anything to bring you in close, have you lower your guard, then strike. Many times, just when you thought they were down and out, they'd throw the mother of all sucker punches.

_'Blake! Snap out of it, Kitten, he thinks you might be possessed!' _Tobias' spirit warned.

The psychic could see the situation through Thomas' eyes, and at once both their heart rates spiked. As her consciousness left Thomas, the last thing Blake remembered seeing through his line of sight was the massive brute rushing towards Ash.

Hesitating, Ash slowly approached Blake, holding in baited breath while the girl stirred from her trance blearily. Thankfully, he couldn't bring himself to raise the shotgun to the psychic's head. More so, the demon killer suddenly found himself obstructed by a rather large wall of muscle as an incredibly agitated Thomas blocked his path, seething beneath his leather muzzle.

"Whoa! Son of a-!" Ash shouted, in surprise, raising his shotgun, only to lower it once he recognized the beast of a man Blake had been accompanied with earlier.

"Ash... Thomas!" Blake cried out, albeit hoarsely as she coughed, "I-I'm o-okay-"

Her statement was cut short by the need to vomit once more. Thomas' affection for Blake winning out over his distrust of Ash, the massive brute rushed to his wife's side, checking over her to make sure that she was unharmed. Perhaps somewhat battered, but nothing more than some flesh wounds.

While greatly shaken, Blake could understand Ash's paranoia. She'd seen herself through Thomas' eyes, and the effects of the trance could definitely be unsettling to say the least. However, Ash just felt overwhelming relief that another friend wouldn't have to die by his hand, not tonight anyways.

Yet after Thomas helped Blake to her feet, the masked killer was just about ready to strangle Ash with his bare hands, and he probably would have had Toby not intervened. The German Shepherd's body was ridged, hackles raised, and muzzle pulled up into a snarl, complete with gnashing teeth as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Uh... guys?" Blake questioned, nervously.

Simultaneously, Ash, Blake, and Thomas all looked up, catching sight of a fourth deadite crawling on the ceiling, the last of that group of collage kids. Not even the copious amount of makeup could hide the pale, decaying flesh or open, festering boils. The fiend, realizing it was discovered, snarled back, only to receive both barrels of the Boomstick. With a screech, the deadite fell to the ground, taking a good chunk of ceiling with it.

_'Bad demon...' _Thomas growled, mentally.

He didn't give the deadite any time to recover. Before the fiend could contort itself into a state any natural human would be unable to, Thomas was already on top of it, squeezing the emo deadite's neck with all his might.

"I'll swall-agh!" was all the deadite was able to choke out.

Thinking quickly, Blake snatched up her saber, driving it through the demon's eye. Ash merely shrugged, having been ready to start up his chainsaw again but realizing that the other two had it. With an artful twirl, he holstered his Boomstick and stooped down just long enough to grab one of the beer cans off the floor. After flicking aside some bloody flesh matter and wiping off the top with his already messy shirt, he casually popped the top and took several long, deep gulps.

_'T-Thomas?' _Blake questioned, her mind's voice trembling as she pulled her blade from the deadite's head.

Thomas gently cupped the girl's face, taking in several deep breaths, _'S-Mart... slaughterhouse!' _he growled, mentally.

Well... Blake would have a hard time finding a solid argument for that!

"So... either of you two care to explain to me what it was I just saw back there?" Ash inquired, before taking another swig of his beer, "The whole 'white eyes trance' thing? Him going off the rails bonkers?" he elaborated, gesturing towards Thomas.

Blake numbly picked up the cane sheath and slid the still bloody saber into it. She thought that she heard Ash ask her something, but in all honesty, she didn't fully understand it herself nor did she know how to explain it.

_'Ummm... Thomas... he's... uh... he's the first human I've bonded with. I... I also... w-warned you... Tommy's a bit sensitive... and very protective of me.'_

While this answer may have just left more questions for Ash, (like what exactly she meant by "bonded with",) the dazed psychic didn't really notice as she approached the check stand, where her cart still remained with most of the gear she was purchasing. Thomas and Toby both remained at her side, both shaken and covered in blood, but still alive.

When Blake and Thomas glanced over the check stand, there was a terrified S-Mart employee taking cover behind there; apparently he'd chosen to hide instead of flee after seeing what happened to that unlucky group of saps when they ran. Wordlessly, he glanced up at the group before him, eyes as wide as saucers while his entire body trembled.

"Been there, my friend." Ash shrugged, with a hint of sympathy in his voice, "I'd say you get used to it, but I'd be lying."

"So... what was my total?" Blake questioned, trying to sound as though she hadn't just slain any horrific undead demons right in the front of the store, even sliding a few sticky, blood covered one hundred dollar notes towards the cashier.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

**Author's Notes:: **

I know there hasn't really been a whole lot of fighting/battles as of late, so I figured that a good ol' Ash vs Evil Dead style S-Mart brawl would be in order. While I loved writing this chapter, I also had a lot of difficulty, considering there was so much going on.

To start things off, I figured that the sight of Blake and her having some idea of what's happened would spook Ash a bit since they haven't seen each other for a while. And before you ask, no, she didn't exactly tell the chainsaw-wielding demon killer that her bestie is the Revenant inhabiting Crystal Lake, so he doesn't know about her relationship with Jason.

"Cujo" was a quick little nod to Stephen King.

Thomas and Ash together... yeah, like trying to mix oil and water. He is NOT at all thrilled about this. But even less thrilled about the corpse demons. For someone who's used to dealing with hacking apart dead bodies, it's a nightmare come to life when something you KNOW is fucking dead starts moving and trying to kill you, so Thomas' terror is this situation is genuine. Blake knows enough about deadites, having seen Ashes memories of them, to keep herself centered.

Deadites are nasty, they're like zombies but WAY harder to kill, capable of using magic, and highly intelligent. The way they can contort their bodies to bend and move the way no human ever could... I could go on and on.

And of course, that can of beer at the end... such an Ash Williams thing to do!

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


	6. Temptation

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

**Chapter 6: Temptation**

***Crystal Lake Research Facility***

Sometimes it was hard to think about what was worse, living in the dark or constantly having bright lights on. At this point in their captivity, neither Jason nor Lisa had any idea what time it was anymore. Whether it was night or day. Even when one of them was lucky enough to see a clock while being manhandled to or from their cell, their efforts to try and keep track never lasted... but hey, the things one does to stave off boredom!

A slight smile crossed Lisa's face as she looked at Jason in his new attire. It only took five years of captivity to finally be given a change of clothes. But while Lisa may have been able to pull off the blue medical scrubs just fine... her much larger companion couldn't. She tried her hardest not to laugh, seeing as it wasn't Jason's fault they didn't fit him very well.

Though if she were being honest with herself, this simple, silly, stupid thing probably brought her more joy then what she could remember feeling in a while. Jason, meanwhile, huffed out a sigh as he rolled his functioning eye. He knew his love never meant anything malicious by it, if anything else, the massive brute wanted to see his good girl laugh again, even if it was at his expense.

_'I'm not being fair to him... besides, our cozy little prison already smells better.' _Lisa shrugged to herself.

Prison could really make one reflect on all the little things you miss. Like trees, grass, rain, a bed, her washing machine, or a hot shower on her schedule to name a few. Sighing, Lisa prepared to settle in for another night (or at least, she thought it might have been night) on the cold, metal floor with Jason. While the beast of a man wrapped his arm around her, he glared up at the cameras on the ceiling. Who all was watching? Things had been very quiet, aside from Rowan giving them a change of clothes. Cody hadn't been around for a while, something that both relieved and worried Jason.

But when his large hands moved up and down Lisa's body, something stirred deep within Jason's gut. Since their imprisonment, the two of them pretty much kept things light, cuddling and a few kisses at most. There were certain things their captors weren't allowed to see, as they were for Jason's eyes only. Glancing down at his mate, he could see that Lisa was already shifting, even guiding his hand down a little lower. The hockey-masked giant hesitated, glaring up at the cameras; were they watching? Was Cody watching?

_'She is the best gift I ever could have asked for.' _Jason pondered, as his heartbeat began to pick up, _'They'll see her... he'll see her!'_

Lisa let out a questioning whistle when Jason ceased caressing her, but before she could ask anything further, the giant twisted around, moving his girl with him so that his back was to the camera and Lisa was concealed in the corner with his bulk shielding her. A smirk crossed the girl's face as she moved Jason's mask aside, revealing his misshapen lips. She pulled him into a deep kiss, filled with raw passion and need. It had been so long since Jason had even tasted her in this way, as her tongue explored his mouth. When Lisa was finished, she nipped at his lip, chest heaving with each intake of breath.

"I don't care if they see!" Lisa mouthed, her feral, sea green eyes locked with Jason's.

She hadn't even noticed that her fists tightened into handfuls against her love's loose, baggy scrub top, pulling him closer to her. Who was Jason to deny her? Without question the beast of a man slid his hands underneath Lisa's loose top, feeling the soft skin of her midsection before moving up to her breasts. He gently squeezed, watching for his girl's reaction and guiding her to lean against the wall before she slammed into it. It took all of his self control to not just rip off the girl's clothes and take her right there. Even if Lisa didn't care what their jailers saw, he did. And Jason wasn't one to grant them any sort of satisfaction!

**Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~**

Jason's suspicion that unwanted eyes were watching his and his love's every move was not wrong, as within Cody's laboratory, Cornell tapped into the live feed while Cody busied himself with preparing what somewhat looked like a Plexiglas coffin on top of one of the lab tables. Huffing out an exasperated sigh, Cody took a moment to check his phone; Miranda was supposed to send him a message once she was inside the research center.

_'Knowing her, she probably got mad at the guards at the front gate... wouldn't surprise me if she landed herself in a cage!' _Cody mused to himself.

The doctor abandoned his project and pondering, however, hearing his coworker muttering quite loudly as he seemed to be getting hot and bothered by what he was watching.

"Yeah baby, come on... show us some tits-OH COME ON! Get out of the way you great, ugly oaf!"

Cornell let out a frustrated groan; usually the high definition feed only had hours upon hours of pacing, pounding on the walls, or some light snuggling. This time, there was finally some action, real heavy petting... yet Jason had positioned himself and Lisa in such a way that only the brute's back and shoulders could clearly be seen. However, while most of it was left up to the imagination, Cody's eyes narrowed as he scowled from behind Cornell, burning his gaze toward the monitor with the live video feed.

"Come on, bend the bitch over, lets see some ass and dick," Cornell groaned, before glancing at Cody, "Damn it, if we could get the trained monkeys to actually perform, there'd be so many bids on these two-"

Before he could finish, the monitor displaying the live footage spontaneously shattered, the entire screen going dark and useless, causing Cornell to jump and cast an alarmed glance towards Cody.

"Fucking hell! Sir... I'm running out of excuses to explain these broken screens."

"Running out, but not out yet," Cody answered back, coldly, "Now, if I catch any little hint that THIS filth is being sold, auctioned, or displayed on our organization's private servers in any way, I'll have half a mind to "accidentally" leave Jason's cage unlocked while you're in the cell block. Do I make myself clear?"

Cornell sighed, quirking an eyebrow at his superior. He wasn't saying it, but he was thinking it; Lisa just wasn't into him! Nor would she be... ever. But of course, Cody would hear none of it!

"Crystal, sir," he answered, taking a look at the bizarre contraption Cody continued to busy himself with, "You're preparing for another test, aren't you, sir? I warned you about Rowan... asking your special honey some questions... about you."

Once again, Cody stopped what he was doing and let out a frustrated groan. He needed to finish his research with Jason, isolate the components of his regenerative genes and purify them of the inherent toxins. To do this, Cody needed an extended amount of time uninterrupted with his subjects.

"I have to try... before they're thrown in the freezer," he answered, with a deep sigh, "I need to give her another chance to reconsider."

All Cornell could do was roll his eyes at this point, but it was safer to just run with his superior's delusion then challenge it.

"What the hell is this, anyways?" Looks like something John Kramer would have in one of his little fun houses." he questioned, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Well you could say Mr. Kramer's work was an inspiration," Cody admitted, with a smirk as he covered up his work with a tarp, "The man was a brilliant artist in the medium of torture. However, I'm going to need your help."

It was a crazy idea, but Cornell was ready to play his part. Once everything in the lab was turned off, Cody checked his phone and internally growled before taking the initiative to send Miranda a message instead. Somehow he had a feeling that bringing Lucian's former protege into the research facility was going to end up causing him even more problems in the long run. But an extra pair of hands in this endeavor would be useful... someone who could help keep Rowan occupied.

**Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~**

Meanwhile, wandering about the concrete and steel corridors, Miranda walked with a purpose, acting as though she belonged where she was. She sported a rather professional looking button down shirt with a tie and a nice knee-length skirt with a pair of black flats. The glasses to go along with the lab coat provided a rather scholarly look and the clipboard was a nice touch. However, there was a hissing laughter echoing throughout the vast, empty halls that only Miranda's ears could hear.

"Oh shut up!" she hissed, fixing the glove covering up her mismatched hand, "I look like a fool in this getup."

_'Perhapssssss that wassssss Cody'ssssss intent.' _snickered The Nameless, _'Thissssss issssss where we sssssshall wait...'_

Indeed, while officially labeled as a "research center", the entire building may as well have been a fortress. A fortress built for the sole purpose of holding two prisoners. Miranda trusted the fiends to know what they were doing. Crystal Lake would draw in Blake like a moth to a flame... she would try to figure out what happened to her friends. And Miranda and The Nameless would be ready and waiting.

At the buzz in her pocket, Miranda skidded to a halt, reading the text Cody just sent her, 'You were supposed to meet me over an hour ago! Where are you?'

She glanced around, making sure she was alone before messaging back, 'Just wanna take a peek at them.'

However, while the teenage cult leader found herself getting turned around more than once on her personal mission to see the Crystal Lake Killer with her own two eyes, she rounded a corner and found herself staring down the subject of her current ire. In all honesty, Rowan seemed just as surprised to see her; not recognizing the young woman at all.

"Who are you?" Rowan questioned, her tone a mix of confused and authoritative.

Resisting the urge to see if a clipboard could become a lethal weapon, Miranda played along by Cody's prior instructions, "Oh hi! Ummm... I'm Miranda. Miranda Skinner. I was brought on as an assistant for the lab. Checked in with those nice guards outside, was told to go in through the main doors, take a right, then another right, then left at the fourth door... or was it supposed to be the third? Anyways, first day jitters, guess I got a little lost." she prattled on, showing Rowan her I.D badge.

She remained chipper and perky, even as Rowan had the new "assistant" follow her to the guardroom just so that she could check Miranda's credentials. Rowan had been informed to expect a new assistant shortly, but this seemed rather suspicious; what was she doing wandering around so near the cell block? Unless of course the girl was actually lost.

_'Ah... the mortal Cody bowssssss too,' _snorted the Nameless, with distaste.

_'Don't remind me!' _Miranda hissed back, mentally.

However, much to Rowan's surprise, all of Miranda's credentials checked out. She had clearance to be down there and assist... Cody Mias in the laboratory. The woman in charge of the facility glanced up from her monitor to the patiently waiting and smiling Miranda.

"Is everything okay?" Miranda questioned.

"Yes. Sorry for any confusion, Miss Skinner. I just needed to double-check a few things," Rowan answered, handing Miranda back her I.D badge, "You just... looked younger then what I expected." she added, eyeing the burn scars on the young woman's neck and face.

"Baby face! Can't help it, not even an accident in chemistry class could change that." Miranda exclaimed.

Well, that might have explained the scars. Rowan wasn't going to question it further, however she'd have to remind herself to do more research in her spare time. While Miranda may have come across as a bubbly ditz, fewer and fewer people were willing to come to the facility and they were severely understaffed, especially since Rowan had to fire multiple doctors and lab techs the week before when she caught them red handed running unauthorized procedures. Right now, she couldn't afford to be picky.

"Come with me, I'll show you where to go. You really shouldn't come down this way without an armed escort, anyway."

A look of worry and confusion struck Miranda's face, "Oh no, i-if I went somewhere I wasn't supposed to go-"

"Jason and Lisa Voorhees are extremely dangerous individuals. You'll be assisting Dr. Mias in his lab with the cultures and DNA samples that have already been extracted," Rowan explained, "You will not need to come to the cell block under any circumstances."

While on the outside, Miranda played it off as being relieved at not having to go anywhere near the infamous hockey-masked murderer or the huntress, internally she was seething with fury and fighting to not let it boil over. However, she continued to play her part, following Rowan throughout the maze of corridors, nodding and asking the occasional small question or two as she was shown around.

On the way to where she would be spending the majority of her work day, Cody was already striding down the dimly lit hall as though he were looking for something or someone. And by the expression on his face, he'd found her.

"Ah, ma'am... and you must be Miss Skinner. I've been expecting you." Cody said, smiling politely as he tried to hide his internal annoyance, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost."

"Guilty!" Miranda giggled, giving Cody a momentary glare, "So, so sorry, doctor. It wont happen again."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you found her, ma'am," mentioned Cody, directing his gaze toward Rowan in an effort to avoid Miranda's poorly disguised glower, "I can show Miss Skinner where she will be working, with your permission, ma'am."

Rowan nodded, though she couldn't help but eye Cody with suspicion. He'd always been polite, always addressed her as ma'am, but there was something about him. His tense posture, intense stare, and a strange feeling of foreboding she'd begun to pick up while in his presence that she couldn't put her finger on. As they parted ways and Rowan returned to the guardroom down in the cell block to finish up some work before the night's end, all she could think to herself was, _'That poor girl wont last ten seconds if Jason or Lisa escape again!'_

_**Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~**_

"You owe me, BIG TIME!" Miranda seethed, as soon as Rowan was out of earshot, "What the fuck is this sick game you're playing at?!"

"I've already paid what I owe, you're inside, aren't you?" Cody sniped back, "With zero blood spilled. I think that's a new record for you, Miranda."

A frustrated huff left the cultist teen's mouth, but she didn't argue further. Lucian pulled a lot of strings in order to infiltrate this place since it was still in the blueprint stages. Killing her coworkers and "superiors" because they "annoyed her" wouldn't do the rest of their organization any favors.

"I just wanted to see them with my own eyes." she finally admitted, as Cody showed her inside the lab.

"Jason Voorhees and Lisa Watkins are not zoo attractions." Cody growled, through gritted teeth, "You'll get to see them soon enough."

Miranda gazed in awe around the well equipped laboratory. So many different ways to torture or kill people; she was already falling in love. There was a lot Cody had to go over in such a short amount of time, plus there was the matter of his 'side hobby'. With any luck, perhaps the local news would give him everything he'd need to know... that or the odd livestreamer or vlogger.

The only thing that could have pulled Miranda's attention off of the various instruments of science and torture was the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, of which Cody had already pulled the book from his satchel and began deciphering his next passage.

_'Beautiful... isssssn't it?' _The Nameless questioned.

_'The most magnificent thing I've seen in my life... and death.' _Miranda answered, as she stealthily pocketed a few tranquilizer filled syringes.

_'Let'sssss sssssee if he'ssssssss worthy of it!'_

_**Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~**_

Back in the cells, Lisa couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so alive. The sensation of being one with her love... it had been too long. After the fifth time all her stamina had drained and the last thing the girl remembered was snuggling against Jason's side in the afterglow of their coupling. However, a rather odd tingling began to cut through the warm, fuzzy bliss Lisa had lost herself in. Why was it gone so fast? Was it this place? Or was it something more sinister?

When Lisa glanced up to Jason to check and see if he was okay, a shocked gasp escaped her mouth when she saw her mate sitting where he had been, completely limp and unresponsive. The massive killer's neck was slick and wet with dark blood and the only reason his head hadn't rolled off his shoulders were the crude stitches holding it in place.

_'No! Not this... not this again! Why won't you bastards just leave us alone?!' _Lisa hissed to herself, backing away.

But... there hadn't been any tests or experiments today. Aside from Rowan giving them new clothes and of course, the clever love-making, that was about the extent of the excitement. When did their tormentors have time to set this up? However, as Lisa ran through scenario after scenario of what might have happened, she realized that when she should have backed up against the cell wall... she'd instead stumbled right through it, finding herself in a foreign and grimy industrial setting. Everything around her was tinged with red. Steam hissed from the hot pipes running along the concrete walls, creating a hazy atmosphere. Yet despite the strangeness... there was something painfully familiar about it.

_'I've seen this place before... but where? When? A-and Jason, what the fuck was th-?'_

As she examined her new surroundings, Lisa realized that the wall she stumbled through was gone and a long corridor stood in it's place. She almost panicked, feeling the air where her cell wall used to be, then the closest wall next to her, just on the off chance that she'd been turned around somehow. A hiss escaped her mouth after accidentally burning herself on one of the hot pipes; a minor nuisance that would heal quickly, but still painful.

Meanwhile, keeping an eye on Lisa from the shadows and haze, Freddy glared down at the crumpled up page he held in his hand. The drawing had been crudely pieced back together with tape, though a few chunks were still missing. He simply consigned himself to let Blake carry on thinking that she'd nipped his interactions with her trained hillbilly in the bud... for the time being. However, the dream demon never let on about their 'mutual friends'. Some cards were best played close to the vest, after all.

"Lisa... it's been a while, bitch." Freddy mused to himself.

He knew he'd have to act swiftly. Lisa wouldn't be one to roll over for him willingly, but it was a gamble the dream demon needed to make. Plus he preferred his odds against the girl rather than her hockey-masked mate. Purposefully, Freddy flexed his claws, quickly catching his prey's attention.

At the sound of metal scraping on metal, Lisa's head spun in the direction it came from. Seeing nothing but red hued haze, she carried on until she heard it again... and again. Suddenly, it sounded like it was coming at her from all directions, causing her to become disoriented. The girl broke into a sprint, skidding to a halt only to see if there was something she could use as a weapon. To her dismay, there was nothing loose on the floor or on the walls, not even so much as a rusty piece of pipe, causing Lisa to snarl in frustration.

Eventually, she found herself in a large room with multiple furnaces. In the hot embers, Lisa could make out the blackened bones of what were once people, many of them small, like they had been the bodies of children. While the sound of sharpened steel scraping together had ceased, she did not lower her guard. When her gaze cast upward, hearing footsteps on the catwalk above her, Lisa caught sight of the shadowy male figure, partially obscured by the smoke and steam. At once her eyes narrowed, recognizing the terrible burns and of course, the bladed gauntlet.

"What's this? Not even a "hi" for yer ol' friend, Freddy?" questioned the dream demon, "And after everything I did for you, too?"

"You again?!" Lisa questioned, before stepping back a few paces, eyes wide with shock.

Truth be told, the sound of her own voice was just as startling as the dream demon glaring down at her. Lisa felt the front of her neck, touching the scar, "W-what did you do with Jason?!"

"Oh that? I just needed to get your attention, that's all," snorted the fiend, his form vanishing among the haze, only to reform right behind Lisa.

Before she could react, a warm steel talon pressed against her throat. Lisa could feel Freddy's hot breath in her ear and a mixture of rot and smoke reached her nose.

"Don't get too comfy, bitch. I only gave you your voice back to make communication easier. I can take it away with a snap of my fingers!" Freddy hissed, hovering his ungloved hand above Lisa's form.

He'd been forced to admire her from afar, but for reasons other than simple lust. There was a small piece of Freddy that was insanely jealous of what Jason had.; a companion that loved and adored him, someone to share the thrill of the hunt and the warmth of the bed.

"Jason isn't one for sharing, you know," Lisa growled, quirking a small smirk, "Besides, whatever happened to your-"

With a snarl, Freddy shoved Lisa into the filthy ground before she could finish. A hiss of pain left the girl's mouth as she scraped her hands along the floor, however when she attempted to retort, Lisa found that her vocal cords refused to work. Before her, the dream demon shook with rage, his electric blue eyes shifting to a glowing red as a hot aura surrounded him.

"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!" Freddy snapped.

Realizing that she'd inadvertently struck a nerve, Lisa began looking around for anything that wasn't bolted to the floor. However when the dream demons claws swiped across her arm and his other hand reached to grapple her, Lisa threw a punch. Her fist collided with Krueger's jaw with enough force to knock out one of his rotted teeth. Furious, Freddy flicked his hand, sending the girl flying backwards against one of the furnaces with telekinetic force. He wiped away the thick black blood oozing out of his mouth before spitting out more on the floor.

"I did not bring you here to fight me!"

"AGHHHH!" Lisa screamed, her voice returning as the burns from the furnace seared her faster than she could heal, "If you... AGGHHHH... think I'm... one of your little Elm Street piggies... I'm not going to be that fucking easy!"

With another wave of his hand, Freddy released Lisa from his hold and she collapsed to the ground. The dream demon wearily circled her as she stood up, taking in several deep breaths, "Don't tempt me, bitch."

"Then what?!" Lisa snapped, "Spill it already!"

"Well," chuckled Freddy, with a devious sneer beneath his fedora, "If you insist..."

Realizing that she may have chosen the exact wrong words, Lisa took a fighting stance, only for the fiend to vanish once more and strike from the flank instead. He predicted the girl's left hook and dodged, scraping a single metal claw down her wrist and up her forearm. With a scream, Lisa raised her knee right into the demon's groin, causing him to moan in agony.

"Why you fucking whore!" roared Freddy, raking his claws across the girl's other arm, cutting deep wounds, "All I wanted from you was a simple favor..." he continued, slicing yet another deep cut into Lisa's wrist and arm, yanking out what appeared to be a bloody tendon, "Now then, you're going to send a little message for me whether you want to or not."

It wasn't long until Freddy ripped the other tendon out of Lisa's arm, using them to control her like a marionette puppet. Every time the girl tried to pull away from the demon's hold, a searing pain lanced throughout her whole body. Defeated, Lisa glared at her captor, as Freddy forced her to walk forward.

"We... we helped you... you and Sidney." Lisa seethed.

At the mention of that name, Freddy froze. He tried not to think about her. He had no need to anymore, he was free, wasn't he? But... it never felt that way.

"She is of no concern anymore!" the dream demon growled, struggling to keep his composure, "Now help me again... and just maybe I'll help you!"

_**Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~Ft13th~TCM~AvsED~NoES~**_

Jason groggily stirred from his sleep, disturbed by the lack of Lisa's warm, comforting weight leaning against him. The air around him felt cold, far colder than their shared cell usually did. He knew Lisa had fallen asleep, safe in his arms; she had no reason to leave his embrace. When his functioning eye finally managed to focus, a strangled groan escaped his throat while the giant of a man scrabbled to his feet.

First of all, there was the blood; spattered over him and the cell. Second, there was Lisa, standing very ridged and facing the wall. Her eyes were open but unfocused and glazed over, almost like she was sleep-walking. Blood dripped from her wrist as she dug her fingers into her own flesh then proceeded to write on their prison wall.

Horrified, Jason grasped Lisa from behind, holding her close to him. The girl stumbled against him, silently whimpering in pain and confusion as she attempted to complete what she'd been working on. All she knew was that one minute, she was in that horrible, industrial place, and the next... she was back in her cell, in Jason's arms, and they were both covered in blood. Not just anyone's blood... HER blood.

_'W-wha-?' _Lisa found herself thinking, as the searing agony quickly began to bring her back to consciousness, _'What-what the fuck am I doing? Where am I? What is-Jason? Jason!'_

Glancing upward, she could see that familiar, hockey-masked face gazing down at her. From behind, she could feel his massive chest heaving with each intake of breath. Before Jason could comprehend what was going on, the lithe little woman twisted around pressed herself up against his powerful form, taking comfort in the sound of his beating heart. Lisa couldn't help herself as she began to sob. She'd never felt so helpless before, not even after being imprisoned here. Somehow, some way, she would figure out a way to tell Jason what happened... what that foul bastard did to her! However, when Jason actually saw what his wife had written on the wall in her sleep-walking state, a low snarl escaped his throat as his hold on Lisa tightened.

Taking in a nervous gulp, Lisa turned her head to take a look at her own handwork.

'One, Two, Freddy's Coming For You!'

She had no recollection of writing it on her cell wall, only that the dream demon had forced her to use her own wrist as an inkwell to do... something! Lost in her racing thoughts, Lisa yelped, barely making any sound, when her mate held her too tightly. Concerned that he'd accidentally hurt her, the large masked man, checked over her, then noticed the fresh blood seeping into the back of her shirt. Gently, he lifted it, inspecting Lisa's back. Not only were there the partially healed burns that certainly were not there before, but carved deep into the girl's flesh were the words, 'Freddy's Back!"

At once, Jason's breathing quickened as his fist clenched, looking around for any sign of that burnt demon. He knew he should have just killed the son of a bitch when he had his chance... a mistake he did not intend to repeat!

However, before Lisa could inquire as to what was going on, vents near the top of their cell opened up, releasing a large cloud of white gas inside. Obviously one of their jailers saw all the blood! Saw what she'd been doing to herself... or rather what the dream demon forced her to do. While the two of them held in their breath for as long as possible, both Jason's and Lisa's vision began to blur and their eyes felt heavy.

"D-don't... d-don't l-let me fall..." Lisa mouthed, moaning silently as she drooped further into Jason's arms, having a difficult time just standing.

With a defiant grunt, the giant fell to one knee, carefully holding Lisa and guiding her with him. Finally, when neither one of them could resist anymore, they succumbed to the blackness, entwined in each others arms.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

**Author's Notes:: **

Hey there! I'm not dead, nor is this story. It's just taking longer to write especially since I have a new 40 hour/week job on TOP of working on my channels. However, I do thank all of you for being patient with me.

Honestly, I love the idea of someone like Miranda being forced to play the role of a bubbly dweeb. Remember, this girl probably has the same body count as Jason at this point! Cody just enjoys screwing with everyone at this point.

Jason and Lisa finally get to have some "quality time" together but leave it to Krueger to fuck it all up. I know that "the Puppet Master" is a favorite kill from the NoES series (honestly, it was pretty fucking awesome!) and so I figured Freddy using some variation of that on Lisa would be interesting.

Hopefully if ya'll are stuck at home in these dark and trying times, this will help brighten up your day a bit. I have the basic idea of where I want the story to go from here, it's just a question of writing/editing because my free time is so, SO limited and this is a rather ambitious crossover with four major franchises plus the Easter Eggs. Anyone know who John Kramer is?

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


	7. A Nightmare in Crystal Lake

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

**Chapter 7: A Nightmare in Crystal Lake**

***Camp Crystal Lake***

Time became a blur from the moment Blake left that S-Mart parking lot. While she was hopeful that a few extra hundred dollar bills might buy the silence of the traumatized cashier, it wasn't something any of them could really bank on. (Although Ash tried to calm her nerves by insisting that the security cameras were just for show and didn't even work. After all, he'd be one to know considering his veteran status with the company.) However, Blake had made a kind suggestion that the cashier do something about the cameras, just in case.

Thomas sat in the passenger seat, still covered in blood and breathing heavily, eyes glaring at the reflection of the pale yellow Delta's headlights in the passenger side mirror. In all honesty, Blake wasn't even sure if Ash would follow her to the campgrounds. Hell, she'd counted herself lucky that he decided to return and help fight off the deadites in that store. Perhaps he took her words to heart... or had a death wish. Honestly any of those would be applicable at this point.

But none of that changed the fact that both she and Thomas had seen something that wasn't meant to be seen, not by the world of the living. Something only the deepest crevices of Hell could give birth too. Dead, gangling, hungering things that were alive. An unholy union of demons and undead that feasted upon the flesh and souls of the living. Blake had a difficult time swallowing the lump in her throat and fighting back the tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. She'd warned Thomas about such foul things yet the young psychic still felt guilty.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Thomas... W-we... you... you never should have had t-to s-see those vile creatures!" she stammered.

Taking his eyes off the headlights following them in the mirror, Thomas turned to his wife, the brooding anger in his eyes turning to concern. He was still shaken to be sure. Anyone would have been after witnessing that! Thomas Hewitt had dealt with more dead bodies than anyone would care to count... yet this was the first time he'd ever been attacked by one... or seen his his wife attacked by a dead thing for that matter.

_'Did... bad demon hurt-?' _Thomas' mind's voice questioned, as his massive hand covered Blake's midsection.

"No." Blake answered sharply, "I-I didn't let that foul thing near her!"

That deadite... using the body of Delia Mias... she'd threatened to take the child still growing in the young mother-to-be's womb. Unwittingly, the fiend awoke a primal instinct within Blake. A mother's need to protect her child. It was too late to even consider turning back. As Blake told Ash earlier that night, _'you can't outrun evil.'_ This was simply the beginning.

"We're here." Blake said softly, turning at an old, weathered sign that had "Camp Blood" gratified over "Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake".

Several memories came flooding back to the psychic; the Summers she and her father spent at this place, hiking, fishing, swimming, camping, hardcore survivalist training... her daddy, the one man she knew of that had managed to beat Jason at his own game. From the back seat, Toby perked up, putting his paws on the door while pressing his nose against the window. However baring where the headlights shone, it was far to dark to make out much of anything save for the occasional soft glow of campfires.

_'I've missed this place.' _Tobias' spirit mused, softly.

While Summer was beginning to give way into Autumn, there were still more vehicles parked in the various lots than usual. Some tents were set up with flashlights and electric lanterns casting a glow and silhouettes of the occupants from inside. Further in, several cabins cast the warm glow of light as well with multiple figures hanging out, drinking and chatting with each other. Without Jason and Lisa to keep things in check, it seemed that Camp Crystal Lake had become more and more of a party zone over the years.

'_People... bad people...' _Thomas growled, internally.

After what happened at the S-Mart, it may be a very long while until he trusted anyone other than Blake again. Not that the girl could really blame him. (Although that could lead to some difficulties if Ash stuck around long term.)

"I... I know where t-to go." Blake reassured the brute, softly as he patted his massive arm.

Blake took a back road, one that had became quite overgrown and neglected over the years. However the cabin at the end and small parking lot were empty. So many wonderful Summers spent in that little place. Tobias had fixed it up himself at one point. Now, the cabin was quite shabby, seeing as it was so out of the way that even with the massive influx of visitors to the camp, it was left alone to the elements over the years. Thomas glanced to Blake, then out his window, grunting softly as Ash parked his car next to theirs.

"He saved us, Thomas," sighed Blake, "He's also the best demon killer I know."

Of course he was, Ash Williams was the ONLY demon killer Blake knew!

Thomas let out another huff of air in response, clearly displeased, _'Thomas... Pretty Blake's protector.'_

"Yes... yes you are, my sweet giant," Blake answered, "Remember... trust? We need to trust each other now more than ever. Please... try to get along with him."

At the girl's request, Thomas grumbled once more, however he agreed under one condition, _'Demon killer has nice face... he touches pretty Blake, Leatherface takes it.'_

Well, that was about as good as Blake was going to get at this point. Thomas was quite serious, not to mention he'd taken quite the liking to his new nickname. The two of them finally got out of their car, Toby following close behind. While the German Shepherd sniffed around, taking care of his business, Thomas immediately went for the trunk and threw it open.

"So, I didn't get a chance to ask," Ash stated, slinging his own pack over his shoulder, "Since when did you join the... Travis County Police Force?"

At once, Blake froze, taking in a nervous gulp while Thomas made sure that the demon slayer had a very clear view of his much larger chainsaw that he'd just withdrawn from the trunk.

"Uhhhh... yeah... l-long and messy story, that." she answered, dryly,"Very messy..."

"Judging by what he's got there and how you two handled those deadites, I'd have to say I believe you." Ash mentioned, nodding in acknowledgment.

_'I could have sworn I saw something on the news about Travis County Texas... a big house and barn fire?' _ran through Ash's mind, _'Shit, fuck me, don't think, don't think, don't think about anything-fuck that sounds familiar... by the way, what happened to her father?'_

In all honesty, Blake wasn't certain if she should have regaled Ash with the tale of what she'd been through over the last few months and the fact that Thomas was her former kidnapper and captor. Or the neat little story about the car she'd been using. How it was stolen from the real Sheriff Hoyt by Thomas' insane Uncle, after the madman had murdered him. And of course there was the delightful little detail about Thomas' less than average diet. (Granted, it was something Blake was trying to break the massive brute of, but how long would Ash stick around once he learned he was in the company of a cannibal? Or the truth about Jason Voorhees and why Blake had no fear of this infamous place?)

Before they entered the cabin, Thomas insisted on going in first with his chainsaw at the ready. While Blake followed, holding a knife in one hand and a flashlight in the other, she couldn't help but notice Ash freezing in his steps, gazing up at the structure. He looked as though he were staring down the gates of Hell itself, only to jump and let out a startled yelp as something large brushed past him.

"Fuck, son of a-!"

Ash sighed, realizing that it was just Toby bounding to his mistress' side and that there was no need to bring out his boomstick, "Cabins in the woods... I haven't exactly had many good experiences with them." he admitted, with a nervous laugh.

Thomas let out a scoff, eyeing the fiend slayer quizzically before continuing his inspection of the building. Blake was more sympathetic, knowing full well why Ash wouldn't be particularly comfortable here. (After all, it may very well be a long time before she'd ever be able to face a plate of barbecue ribs without wanting to throw up ever again.) Everyone had their demons.

While the wood beneath their feet and all around them was weathered, worn, and creaky, it still held up. A thick layer of dust and dirt had coated most surfaces and a few of the windows were broken, but it was better than being completely exposed to the elements. Much of the furniture had been covered with sheets to protect them however it gave the cabin a rather eerie appearance.

_'This place might as well have been a second home at one time,' _Tobias' spirit lamented, sadly, as the dog he resided within let out a soft whine.

The living room, kitchenette, bathroom, and two small bedrooms were clear with no signs of squatters, living or dead. While Blake had been quite certain, since neither she nor her dog sensed anything, the search had brought piece of mind to Thomas and even Ash for that matter.

"Don't worry, there's no cellar in this cabin." Blake mentioned, "We were going to put one in, but..." she cut herself off before she said too much.

"Oh, well... that's a relief." Ash said, with a hint of sarcasm, "But if it's all the same to you, I think I'll just stay out in the Delta for tonight."

Blake shot the demon killer a look of concern. She was worried, not only because of the worsening weather but... what if Ash had second thoughts? Thomas meanwhile, was trying to hide his relief as he was not looking forward to sharing his sleeping space with this man. (Of course, Ash wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of falling asleep anywhere near Blake's mysterious masked bodyguard, so the feeling was mutual.)

"W-wait," Blake softly called out, "A-at least... at least clean up a bit first... w-we still have running water in here."

A small smile crossed Ash's face, though it quickly vanished when Thomas gave him a glower and pointed toward the direction of the bathroom. Toby let out a soft whine from Blake's side as she scratched his ears. They could all use a bit of cleaning up, considering each of them still had "deadite" all over them.

_'Tommy... be nice.' _Blake sighed, mentally.

_'Bad friend... still breathing...' _Thomas grunted, although his posture shrunk a bit from the slight pang of guilt he'd felt.

After cleaning up herself and Thomas a bit with the kitchen sink while Ash occupied the small shower, Blake and her brute of a husband brought the rest of their gear inside and set about barricading the broken windows. Now, Ash had brought up some valid points about the police cruiser. By morning, Blake knew she'd need to hide it. However, the entire time the demon hunter shared their space, Thomas stuck to his wife's side like velcro. The giant only seemed to relax once Ash had given Toby a few pats on the head before going out to his car for the night.

"Oh... what am I going to do with you?" Blake moaned, tiredly as she wrapped her arms as far as they would go around the wall of muscle.

_'Love Thomas,' _answered the brute, in his gravely mind's voice.

While hardly perfect, Blake knew it was progress. Hell, a month ago, he'd have probably picked a fight with Ash if given half a chance. Granted, considering the shit that man had been through, Blake was fairly certain that Ash would have come out of it alive. She contemplated these _"what if's?"_ over a jar of pickles, which the psychic had cracked open before sitting down on the makeshift bed she and Thomas had set up in the larger of the two bedrooms.

Thomas may not have liked Ash, even saw him as a threat, yet he was willing to trust Blake despite his fears. He was completely devoted to her; there was no way the girl would ever dream of betraying that trust. She carried his, their, child inside of her, something of which Thomas was very fond of reminding her. The psychic smiled, feeling her husband's bear-paw sized hand slide over her midsection and pull her in close. She craned her head back, stealing a light kiss, only to giggle as Thomas took a moment to taste his own lips and give her a quizzical stare.

"S-sorry... I-I had a craving." Blake apologized, as her entire body flushed when she set aside the now empty jar.

The two of them cuddled together on their bed of sleeping bags and camping pillows. It was going to be a rather cold night, yet Blake found comfort in Thomas' arms. She knew while he put up a strong front, he was afraid. So was she. Who wouldn't be? Toby curled up at the foot of the bed, audibly groaning as he did. Once again, Thomas couldn't help but feel as though there was something that he couldn't see... couldn't explain... watching him.

Meanwhile, sitting alone in his car, Ash glared at the cabin as though it had just mocked him. He was unable to get comfortable, let alone fall asleep. Worst of all, he'd already plowed through most of the beer he'd scavenged from the S-Mart on the way here! Save for one can. However, his mind just kept running. Blake had mentioned wanting to show him something. But what?

"Maybe in the morning," he reasoned with himself, cracking open his last can of beer, "Still... I know she's leaving some pretty big holes in her story."

Just how did she end up with Thomas? Why was she out here in the first place? But most of all... the one thing that had all the time in the world to nag at his mind in the quiet darkness... something that female deadite had said. Ash had heard _'I'll swallow your soul' _more times then he'd care to recall. But there was something about that fury that had awoken within Blake, like a primal rage. The kind of rage that awakens when you're not just fighting to protect your own life!

"Souls... that ugly demon bitch told Blake she'd swallow her souls... that and her snide comment about two for-! Holy shit!" Ash suddenly realized, spitting out his mouthful of beer all over the dashboard, eyes going wide.

**Ft13th~NoES~TCM~AvsED~Ft13th~NoES~TCM~AvsED~**

From the Realm of Dreams, Freddy chuckled to himself as he turned his attention back to Blake and Thomas. It wouldn't be long until he'd be able to hunt again, since the message he had Lisa send for him was sure to jog a few memories, or better yet bring in a fresh new crop of piggies to the slaughter. The dream demon relaxed on his torn up couch, waiting for his current targets to fall asleep. With those two, he needed to plan his long game strategy.

However, as the images on his broken television set began to flicker, Freddy straightened up. A low growl emitted from his throat, realizing that Blake and Thomas had another person on their team.

"What the fuck?!" he snarled, scraping his claws against the already mauled sofa.

Of course, he'd seen the Necronomicon in Blake's dreams, and wherever that tome was, Ash Williams always seemed to be close behind.

"No! Him?! That fucking asshole with his god damned chainsaw hand has had the Necronomicon for long enough!" Freddy raged, as his eyes flashed red.

This was going to complicate his plans. Ash may not have been the brightest bulb in the box but he had a knack for slaying demons. Even if the fiend slayer couldn't kill Freddy, he knew that Ash would somehow find a way to become a thorn in his side. But, there were always creative solutions, provided one took the time to seek them out. Slowly, the dream demon's fury eased as a smirk began to cross his face.

**Ft13th~NoES~TCM~AvsED~Ft13th~NoES~TCM~AvsED~**

Meanwhile, at the Camp Crystal Lake Research Facility, Lisa awoke from her thankfully dreamless sleep with a gasp followed by a sharp pain in her arm. Cody quickly stepped back from the girl, syringe in hand. Despite the fact that Lisa was securely chained to a chair in his laboratory, the doctor knew it was wiser to not take any chances with her. Naturally, finding herself alone in a room with the boy she hated most and no knowledge of where Jason was only made the Crystal Lake Huntress angry. She leveled a feral glare to her captor and let out a silent hiss.

Cody sighed, pocketing his syringe before crossing his arms, "Is this how it's always going to be between us? Can't we be civil for once? While you're here, why don't you just pretend to be a guest and I am your host," he suggested, keeping his voice dangerously calm, "If you actually took the time to see what was in front of you, you'd see that I'm not a bad person, Lisa. I took the liberty of dressing your wounds for you... and getting you and Jason out of there before Rowan could start badgering you about what happened."

Lisa let out a disbelieving snort, however when she finally broke eye contact with Cody, she could see the camera feed from her cell on the monitors behind Cody. Several people were frantically scrubbing at the message she'd written on the shiny metal walls in her own blood. Then the huntress could feel the burning pain still stinging her back.

"One, Two, Freddy's Coming For You," Cody recounted, "And while you can't see the extent of what happened to your back, the words 'Freddy's Back' have been branded into your flesh. Now... I know you didn't just decide to pull this stunt randomly, nor did you or Jason even have the means to... physical means, anyway."

Everything came flooding back into Lisa's mind, her encounter with the dream demon, being forced to write out his message. She knew that Freddy getting his name out among the masses was extraordinarily dangerous. However, the girl was able to determine that Cody honestly didn't know about the true scope of what he was dealing with.

_'This is my chance!' _Lisa thought to herself, _'Jason and I can be rid of him for good!' _

She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Cody's hand tenderly touch her cheek. Lisa pulled against her restraints to no avail, thrashing her head in an attempt to escape her captor's hand. Eventually she stopped when a strange, tingling feeling filled her body, causing her to shiver. Cody's eyes hardened as he gazed down at his prisoner, however his physical hold remained tender, like that of a lover.

"I've always loved you, Lisa... you love that great beast, and what you see in him I'll never know..." he spat, with great distaste, "but who in the Hell is Freddy?"

"His name is Freddy Krueger!" Lisa mouthed, trying as hard as she could to force her voice to return.

Yet not so much as a hoarse whisper came from her throat.

The girl's hands tightened into fists, the knuckles turning white as she strained against her bonds. Cody tilted his head curiously, a quizzical expression on his face. Normally, Lisa would just spit, hiss, and hurl insults. This time, however, she was pretty eager to share.

"Freddy Krueger? Is that what you said?" Cody questioned, pulling away from his captive.

At once Lisa nodded eagerly, a smile spreading across her face as her breath quickened in excitement. She began to giggle and laugh silently, which only made the entire situation more eerie than before. Cody pondered to himself for a moment... somehow that name sounded familiar.

_'Where have I heard that name before? Krueger?' _

He remembered one time walking in on Lucian and Miranda as they discussed something in hushed voices... the name 'Krueger' had been mentioned, but Lucian claimed that it would have been too dangerous to elaborate, that Cody hadn't been ready yet at the time. Every so often, that name was muttered in hushed whispers among the Soldiers of Eternal Damnation, but he never knew why. However there was always an ominous feeling weighing on his mind whenever that name was whispered. Turning his full attention back to Lisa and knowing the signs of obvious black magic that had been afflicted on her, Cody began to piece things together. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't human.

"I heard that name Krueger whispered among my brothers, sisters, and my mentor. But what do you know about him?" he pressed, already feeling his heart rate quicken.

Lisa lazily lifted her head back up to gaze at him, still giggling, "I know that he's a fucking dream demon... and now you know his name! Sweet dreams, you fucking bastard!"

Cody immediately felt his blood turn cold. While reading lips wasn't his greatest talent, he could make out "dream demon" quite clearly. Now it all made sense... why Lucian never explained and kept him in the dark. The message on the wall... and of course, why Lisa was so eager to share. She just wanted this fiend to do the dirty work for herself and Jason! Apparently if they couldn't have his head, throwing him to Freddy Krueger was the next best option. However, figuring out Lisa's plans, Cody placed his hand over the satchel at his side, taking in a deep breath. Perhaps it was time to upgrade from common deadites!

Lisa's silent laughter ceased when she noticed how calm Cody remained. She backed away as far as the chair she was chained to would allow while her captor leaned in close, tenderly brushing a lock of hair out of her face and behind her ear.

"Thank you, my love." Cody whispered, right before lunging into a one-sided passionate kiss.

The sudden move took Lisa completely by surprise when Cody's lips locked with hers. She silently screamed in disgust, trying to jerk her head out of his grasp. The girl refused to let his tongue enter her mouth, even attempting to bite Cody's lips when he tried. When her captor finally separated from her, Lisa spat right in his face, her chest heaving up and down. She felt like she wanted to throw up.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been wanting to do that?" Cody questioned, as he savored the girl's lingering taste on his lips, "I know I'm not a corpse like you're used to, but I can teach you to like it."

"Fuck you!" Lisa snarled, silently, as she thrashed against her bindings.

"Oh? What was that? Was that... what I thought you said? Let's not rush things, now. Don't you worry, I'll eventually get there."

Cody just smirked, glancing to the lab tables behind his prisoner. There was a lot he'd like to do with her right now, in this moment. That first kiss was just the beginning. But now was truly as good of time as any to carry on with his own personal research. He left Lisa to wear herself out while casually checking the text he'd received on his phone.

'I told the bitch that Jason and Lisa have been moved to separate secondary secure holding cells while this shit is cleaned up. She's currently keeping an eye on some looped footage of their incarceration. Now's your chance.'

A slight chuckle left Cody's throat as he responded. He could always trust Cornell to have his back. Before putting his device away, Cody sent Miranda a text as well, knowing that he'd need some help in the lab for his next experiment.

'Come to the lab. You're going to want to see this.'

Once again, he learned in close to his prisoner, stroking his finders through Lisa's hair and taking in her scent, "I'm afraid that work must intervene. But you should be glad... you'll see that boyfriend of yours again at the very least."

A quiet hiss of pain escaped Lisa's mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, the girl could see the needle Cody had just stuck into her neck while the small, dark laboratory and world around her began to spin and turn dark. Even in her drugged haze, she knew what was coming next. That sick bastard wasn't about to pass up such an opportunity... he was going to be performing his tests once more!

**Ft13th~NoES~TCM~AvsED~Ft13th~NoES~TCM~AvsED~**

In the early morning hours, Thomas trembled in a fitful sleep. Despite his pretty Blake being there, right in his arms, he had a difficult time settling down. Even her gentle presence in his mind and dreams weren't enough to completely calm the giant of a man. Was it this strange place? That annoyingly charismatic one-handed man? Or perhaps it was the fresh memories of those terrible fiends that tried to kill them.

His mind wandered back to his old basement; a place of horrors for most, but for him it was his safe domain where he could remain hidden from the rest of the cruel world. It was one of the few places were he was in charge. In complete control. Yet he knew it was cinders by now, probably being thoroughly tossed by police at this very moment. As he lamented once more about the loss of the only home he'd ever known, Thomas saw something moving among the shadows.

_'Pretty Blake?' _he questioned, tilting his head while he moved some hanging chains and meat hooks aside.

What he saw caused nearly caused his heart to stop and turned his blood to ice. It was Blake, HIS pretty Blake, in the arms of that chiseled-chinned demon slayer. The girl giggled shyly as Ash's mechanical hand slowly slid it's way down her waist and down her thigh. Neither one of them seemed to notice Thomas standing there, trembling with fury.

"You still have one good hand at least." Blake purred, smiling as she put both of her arms around Ash's neck.

"Oh you have no idea," Ash answered back, with a charming wink, "Now... give me some sugar baby."

The demon killer pulled Blake into a passionate kiss that left nothing to the imagination. Moaning, groping, and a lot of tongue. At this point, the only sounds Thomas could hear over his pulse racing in his ears was a faint, tiny echo. In his vision, everything had turned a dark tinge of bloody red. He was beyond outraged by this betrayal. How could he? How could... she?! Even as the beast of a man was ready to charge forward and break up this debauchery, something managed to hold him back and keep him from loosing it completely. A tiny voice growing ever louder in his mind.

_'Thomas! It's not real!' _

It was Blake's voice, that much he knew.

_'Thomas, focus on me! I'm right here. Please... please come back to me!' _

She sounded afraid; outright terrified. Well, of course she was terrified, Thomas had just caught her cheating on him, right? Then... how could she have been getting down and dirty with Ash while simultaneously standing right beside him and grasping his muscular arm for dear life.

"I w-would never betray you, Thomas... you're the father of o-our child. I-I know you would die for the both of us... why-why would I ever b-be foolish enough to throw away your devotion?" Blake questioned.

Hearing Blake's words, feeling her presence growing stronger, Thomas' vision began to clear and the wrath-filled haze he'd been filled with previously lifted from his mind. Now he could clearly see that his pretty Blake was there with him; he could feel her essence, her warmth and love.

_'P-pretty Blake? What i-is-?'_

His question faded when he noticed that the "other Blake" and Ash mysteriously vanished, however the strong smell of charred flesh began to fill the basement while the dim lights took on an eerie red glow.

"T-Tommy... listen to me, we-we're in a dream... just l-like before... w-we need to wake up now." Blake pleaded.

_'Fake pretty Blake with demon hunter... gone.' _Thomas grunted, as he glanced around.

"T-Thomas... l-listen to me," Blake strained, "I-I know you're not meaning too... b-but y-you need to wake up... I-I think you're hurting me..."

Those words cut deeper than any knife ever could. Thomas' eyes widened in fear; had he struck her without realizing it while blinded by rage? There were no marks on her, not caused by him... not that he could see, anyway.

"Please... wake up!" Blake begged once more before her form faded from the Dreamscape.

As the dimensions of Thomas old domain began to swirl and fade into gray nothingness, he could make out the silhouette of a slender man in a ratty striped sweater and filthy brown fedora tauntingly waving a clawed hand at him and throwing back his head to let out a raspy laugh.

Thomas awoke with a sharp gasp catching in his throat. Everything around him was a dark, blurry haze, he couldn't see anything. Then the smell hit him, like old, warm meat, followed by the warm-wet, then by cold-wet... It was at that moment Thomas realized that Toby was pawing and nosing at his face, trying to get him to wake from the nightmare. The German Shepherd whined softly, shifting his attention from Thomas' face to his arms. At first, the massive brute couldn't figure out what was going on until the familiar feeling of a squirming, struggling body right next to him grabbed his attention in a hurry.

Blake gasped for air, clawing at Thomas' arms which had been wrapped tightly around her. So tightly, it was becoming a serious labor just to breathe.

_'Thomas!' _Blake pleaded, turning her gaze up to the massive man.

With a strangled grunt of realization, Thomas released his hold immediately. A mix of confusion and horror filled the giant to his very core. How did this happen? When? How long had his pretty Blake been trapped like that? Perhaps since the start of that terrible nightmare? There were no real answers to these questions, which only made it worse.

Blake coughed dryly as she struggled to catch her breath, heaving in as much air as she could. As Toby nuzzled at his mistress, making sure that she was okay, Thomas remained frozen in terror. He'd hurt her... he hurt his pretty Blake after swearing he'd never do such a thing again. Feeling his fears as her own, Blake gazed up to the massive brute's silhouette in the dark, wiping away the tears that had begun streaming from her coughing.

_'Didn't mean... Pretty Blake...?' _questioned Thomas, _'Baby?'_

"I-it... -cough- w-was t-the nightmare..." Blake rasped, as she turned her gaze up to the massive man.

Of course. Deep in sleep, Thomas feared loosing the girl he loved, thus driving him to possessively cling to what mattered most to him in the waking world, unwittingly causing her harm. Now he was afraid to so much as touch her, for fear of hurting her again. The beast of a man stiffened when he felt Blake's small form lean against him.

"O-our baby i-is okay... s-she's strong just like her daddy," Blake said, her voice trembling while she draped and arm over her midsection, "I-I don't blame you, sweet giant,"

No, she blamed herself. Blamed herself for being such a fool... not seeing the signs or simply trying not to see them. Denial. Just as the girl began to contemplate her next move, Toby gently pawed at the both of them, drawing their attention.

_'Kitten... you need to see this,' _Tobias' spirit mentioned, urgently.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

**Author's Notes:: **

I know, I've been cruel and made all of you wait. Things have been very tough. As of February of this year, I've gotten a "regular job" to help pay the bills, then that Corona-pocalypse struck, and since I'm in an "essential business"... it's been madness. So not much time to write, draw, or work on videos for my channels. Stay safe out there people, stay home if possible.

Anyways, about this chapter, there's some aftermath from the S. Mart battle. Thomas is not terribly fond of Ash... or his irritatingly charming face. (Seriously, I adore Bruce Campbell, the guy should be a national treasure!) I figured that after what Ash went through, he wouldn't be terribly comfortable in or around cabins in the woods. The man has seen some shit!

Is it wrong that I'm in love with Evil Cody? He's such a smooth, charming, calculating sleaze! Has Lisa made a horrible mistake? Trying to get the dream demon to do her dirty work? Who knows...

And holy shit! Writing out Thomas' nightmare... that made me HORRIBLY uncomfortable! These are fictional characters... but the idea of Blake actually cheating on Thomas sickened me to my core which is why I knew it would be perfect. It is the perfect nightmare for Thomas, Ash is also a skilled fighter, resourceful, good looking even for an old man, in some ways, for Thomas, it's like watching Hoyt trying to snatch Blake out from under him all over again. But this time, Blake actually likes Ash as a person. So of course... I'm sure you can put the pieces together.

As always, reviews are like coffee. Stay safe, hopefully we'll get shit back to whatever passes for normal soon.

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


	8. Truth be Told

An Understanding

By: TheSilverHyena

Warning:: Contains Mature/Adult Content, Violence and Gore, and Adult Language. If you cannot HANLDE these sorts of things, you might want to go elsewhere. Don't say I didn't warn you.

**Chapter 8: Truth be Told**

***Camp Crystal Lake/Blake's Old Cabin***

It was incredible how one little thing could change everything. One fly in the ointment, as it were. From the moment Blake heard her father's spirit tell her that there was something that she needed to see a feeling of dread washed over the girl. By the time Blake's eyes and Thomas' adjusted to the dim lighting of the battery powered camping lantern in their room, either one of them could have been knocked over with a feather.

_'Bad, scrawny man... Pretends to be Pretty Blake!' _Thomas snarled, in his mind, _'Hurt's Tommy's family.'_

Right beneath Toby's paw was the now tattered and crudely patched up sketch page that Blake had disposed of back at her father's house on Elm Street. The faint scent of soot and smoke wafted from the drawing and it felt warm to the touch. There wasn't any concealing this from Thomas anymore... it was obvious that he knew about the dream demon.

_'He's d-done worse than that...' _Blake sighed, glancing up to Thomas with a worried expression, "T-there's more you n-need to know."

Explaining about the things that go "bump in the night" to Thomas and why she'd never mentioned anything about Freddy Krueger earlier was not the way Blake originally intended to spend the morning. But he needed to know. At this point, he deserved to know the truth.

"D-do you remember t-the night t-that Kaylie a-and I tried to escape?" Blake asked, choking back a sob, "a-and your uncle killed my dog, Jason?"

Slowly, Thomas nodded; honestly, how could he forget that night? It was pouring rain, flashes of lightning lit up the inky black sky, wrapping his hands around Uncle Hoyt's neck in blind fury... and Blake... once the girl had been brought back to her room... she had attempted to take her own life. Tentatively, Blake revealed the scars on her wrists from the night in question, causing Thomas to let out a grunt of recognition as his eyes filled with worry.

_'Pretty Blake... hurt... but no knife, nothing sharp.' _he recollected, tilting his head.

"I-I didn't g-give myself these scars... t-that was him. Y-you s-see... what he does t-to you in your dreams... h-happens in the r-real world." she explained, gesturing to the sketch of the burnt, demonic fiend, "N-now y-you know w-why I-I never said anything... b-because h-he can only harm y-you i-if you know about h-him. I-I was trying t-to protect you f-from that fiend b-but y-you saw-"

Before she could finish her explanation, (which often turned into wordy rambling), Thomas tenderly pulled the girl in close, assuring that he wouldn't accidentally hurt her again, and quieted her down with a kiss. Blake let out a soft, surprised moan but didn't resist. She stroked his cheeks softly, even after they parted to catch their breath. Her heart began to flutter in anticipation when a warm feeling pooled in her gut.

_'Tommy's job to be pretty Blake's protector.' _Thomas gruffed, mentally as he nuzzled against his wife, _'Protect from dead things, burnt things, and bad demon people...' _

It was only now Blake realized that Thomas had guided her to lay back on their bed while he positioned himself beside her, already working on loosening his belt. Even after all of this, at the end of the day, she was what Thomas wanted. What he needed more than anything. Who he loved more than anything. Blake could feel her pulse racing as her face became rather warm and flushed with desire. However, before Thomas had the chance to remove the girl's nightclothes, Blake was startled from her pre-coupling foreplay by the sound of her father's voice in her mind.

_'Ummm... eh, Kitten...?' _

"Huh?" questioned Blake, sounding both confused and embarrassed.

Just as Toby let out a bark and his tail slowly began to wag, footsteps could be heard racing down the small and narrow hallway. Before Blake or Thomas even had a chance to move, the door flung open as they found themselves staring down Ash, who had his hand frozen about halfway to the shotgun holstered on his back. To be fair, the demon slayer sported an equally surprised expression on his face, considering what he'd just walked in on.

"Uhhhh... I uhhhh... heard some noises and... um... I uhh... was just making sure you two were okay..." he clumsily explained, while his eyes quickly darted to the weathered wooden floor in shame, "Sorry to bother ya, you two have fun..."

Thomas' eyes narrowed and a low, rumbling growl reverberated in his chest. For a split second, he considered charging the "intruder" down and beating him within an inch of his life. However, Blake was far to mortified at the moment to so much as squeak out a 'good morning,' or a much more appropriate 'get out!'

_'Well, one question has been answered... but now I got a million more-shit! Don't think, don't think, don't think!' _Ash mentally scolded himself.

"Ummm... d-do you... mind?" Blake nervously asked, blushing incredibly hard at this point, "M-maybe wait o-out in the living room?"

"Yeah... I-I'll just wait..."

With a long, hard gulp the man reached for the door to pull it closed, realizing that after he'd shut the door, Toby had stealthily slipped outside and sat calmly in front of it. Still unable to get the sight he'd just seen out of his mind, Ash turned his gaze towards the German Shepherd, "Did I just see what I thought I saw?" he asked, in a harsh whisper.

Of course, the dog couldn't provide any helpful answers, other than a curious head tilt and questioning groan. Although when Ash momentarily thought about going for the door handle again, Toby nudged and nosed at the demon killer's mechanical hand and let out a soft whine.

"Geez, I guess some of the stories about this place are true. At least someone's gettin' some, huh? How in the Hell did he-did she-?" Ash mused to himself, "Fuck it... I don't wanna know... but at the same time I do."

He continued to ramble to himself as he slunk back to the living room, giving Thomas and Blake their privacy. Somehow, this specific area seemed like a really nice place to kill some time, even better than his beloved Delta. Yet for the life of him, Ash couldn't comprehend why he felt that way. He hated cabins! (Especially creepy old cabins in thickly wooded areas.) While the fiend slayer was still curious about what Blake needed to show him, he'd have to wait. Oh well... perhaps a little weed would help take the edge off.

Blake released the breath she wasn't even aware she was holding once the door to the small bedroom had been shut. While she could hear Ash's rambling (both verbal from just outside the door and mental,) the girl tried to put it out of her mind. He was just making sure that everything was okay, after all. Thankfully Thomas hadn't flown into an absolute rage at the sight of the demon killer.

_'Told pretty Blake... bad friend...' _Thomas grunted, shaking his head, _'Won't steal what is mine.'_

This time, Blake snorted out a slight laugh; despite the initial embarrassment, there was still something quite humerus to be had about the situation, like something out of a cheesy chick flick or a "so-bad-it's-good" romance novel. She didn't have long to get lost in her thoughts, as Thomas began to gently caress the girl once more, bringing back that previous flush of warmth to her skin. Her breath began to pick up, especially when she felt the massive brute's restrained arousal through his pants as he shifted his position.

Of course, Thomas didn't know about the lore of Crystal Lake. Even if he did, he more than likely wouldn't care about the taboo. Besides, the "Lord of the Land" wasn't exactly in any current position to stop him. Blake found herself torn... while she had her own needs to attend too and wanted to make Thomas happy, a small piece of her felt like she was betraying Jason's trust and going behind her friend's back. Yet, despite her worries... things had been oddly... silent... ever since they arrived at the old camp.

To deny Thomas after the leap of faith he'd taken on her behalf would have been nothing short of cruel. Furthermore, Blake knew that she and Thomas both grew stronger together, their spiritual and physical bond. Right now, they needed each other more than ever... Hopefully, if Jason was truly her friend, even he would understand. Plus there would be no telling when they would get another chance.

"Thomas... I-I-"

Blake's mouth became quite dry, her train of thought derailing once she felt her nightclothes getting tugged off, _'Jason, forgive me...' _she sighed to herself, mentally.

A slight gasp escaped from the young psychic's throat when the cold morning air nipped at her freshly exposed skin. She wasn't planning on remaining cold for much longer, as she set about assisting Thomas in removing his shirt. Breathing heavily and growing more aroused by the second, the much larger man simply tossed his shirt towards the door, letting it crumple in a heap on the floor, before nuzzling against his wife. He loved the feeling of Blake's fingers gently combing through his mane of long, dark hair. The softness of her skin and the moans she made when his hands massaged her supple but small breasts. And of course, her intoxicating scent. The unmistakable aroma of an aroused female.

From the moment Thomas hooked his fingers around Blake's panties and threaded them off her legs, he could smell that she was already wet. The girl felt her heart rate quicken as she undid her husband's pants, causing Thomas to let out a pleased, rumbling growl. It wasn't long until he became just as naked as his pregnant wife, his painfully throbbing cock finally free of it's fabric prison.

"Y-you're the man I love, Thomas Hewitt." Blake whispered, softly, while taking in a deep breath, "I t-trust y-mph!"

Before she could finish those words, Thomas' lips met with hers. The girl began to squirm and writhe where she lay as Thomas' fingers lightly teased her slick opening. Blake gripped her mate's shoulders, filling his mouth with her pleasured moans. While there was a part of her that still felt like this was wrong, the euphoria was overwhelming.

Thomas growled possessively, now just barely grazing Blake's clit with his slicked fingers. He could feel the young psychic's need as his own, barely a tickle on the tip of his raging erection, driving him mad. But he'd since learned when Blake's pleasure became his own. He could have just taken her, but instead, the beast of a man wanted to make her beg for it.

When their lips finally parted, Blake's mismatched eyes gazed into Thomas' trustingly. Carefully, the brute positioned himself on top of her, his tip grazing her slit but not thrusting inside... not yet.

_'Trust pretty Blake...' _Thomas grunted, in his mind.

His large hands moved toward his mate's breasts, squeezing them gently, then slid down to stroke her soft, slightly rounded belly. Already, the prior nightmare from earlier began to fade into merely an unpleasant memory in the darkest corners of his mind. Blake belonged to him, as he belonged to her. The proof was right here before his very eyes. There she was, vulnerable and willing before him. And trusting. Always... trusting.

_'I-I w-want you, Thomas...' _Blake pleaded.

With a pleasured moan, Thomas finally obliged, slowly easing himself into his wife's warm, tight pink sheath. Blake whimpered softly, any pain from her husband's girth giving way to pure bliss. Slowly, she began to move her hips once Thomas settled in, setting a rhythm with his thrusts. It wasn't long before the titan-sized man above her was panting and moaning, intoxicated by the feeling Blake's slick opening clenching around his rock-hard cock, creating the most amazing friction as he slid in and out of her. Already, the prior cold that filled the small cabin bedroom quickly warmed up as the two of them moved together in the throws of passion.

Blake's back began to arch, each one of Thomas' movements finding her most sensitive spot. Her eyes closed and she threw back her head, trying not to moan too loudly. While she could feel her mate's hands gently caress up and down her body at a slow, steady pace, Blake couldn't withhold her startled squeak when she suddenly found their positions flipped; Thomas lying on his back while she was on top. As much as Thomas had been enjoying the girl's willingness to be submissive to him in the bedroom, he remembered how much he liked it this way. Having Blake take the lead. Being under her control. Feeling her soft, inner walls tighten further around his member. Seeing her riding him the way she was; now it was Thomas' turn to become just a little red in the cheeks. (His muzzle-like mask didn't conceal it all.)

"A-are you... are y-you getting bashful on me now?" Blake questioned, softly with a playful tease to her voice.

The massive brute answered with a deep, guttural groan, arching his back while thrusting his hardened cock as deep as he dare penetrate. Another soft sigh escaped from Blake's mouth, once again having her slightly swollen belly lovingly rubbed as she continued to ride Thomas. However, while the beast of a man lost himself in pure, unfiltered bliss, Blake couldn't help but take notice of the images blinking into her mind every time she closed her eyes. They were small at first, barely flashes. But the frequency at which they would occur became alarming.

Another purposeful thrust from Thomas; Blake saw in her mind's eye a familiar house in the woods. It was one she knew well, as it belonged to Lisa and Jason. Upon closing her eyes again, the second vision formed in her mind; the blonde boy! The one she'd seen in a prior dream not long ago; he was much younger and fresh faced, but there was no doubt that it was the same person.

In the midst of her own pleasure, every gasp, thrust, and trembling sensation became accompanied with a fast paced series of images Blake was quickly putting together. She could see the way that boy looked at Lisa, it was the same way Thomas looked at her. But Lisa never reciprocated. Jason loomed in the shadows of the forest, watching while seething in silent fury.

_'What... what's happening?' _Thomas questioned, his gravely mind's voice sounding quite startled, _'Pretty Blake's friend...? Family?'_

"D-don't stop, my sweet giant..." Blake rasped, taking hold the brute's forearms for support as he gripped her thighs, "P-please don't stop..."

He must have begun seeing them as well, or perhaps glimpses, but was uncertain as to what exactly he was witnessing every time he closed his eyes. Or why. But Blake knew that they needed answers.

"T-Thomas... m-make m-me... ah... I-I need your help..."

The intensity of the psychic's visions grew as she neared her peak. She was close, painfully close to her release, but she wasn't finished yet. Another powerful thrust led to the sight of that boy holding a gun on Jason while threatening to take Lisa away with him. With the next, Blake saw Jason pounding the foolish boy into a bloody pulp.

Throwing her head back, the girl gasped, feeling Thomas' fingers move over her clit. Blake tried to hold back, not wanting the pleasure to stop... needing to learn more from the visions filling her thoughts. Just when she was about to go over the edge, Blake witnessed a familiar face, Sheriff Hoffman, dragging a mangled and bleeding blonde boy away from a now woozy looking Jason while Lisa glared from beside her mate.

There was no holding back anymore, as Thomas let out a strangled and startled guttural moan. The giant of a man began to tremble as the waves of his orgasm struck, filling Blake with his warm essence. Whimpering and moaning from atop him, the psychic began to tremble and writhe uncontrollably from the relentless pleasure rippling throughout her entire body. Before Blake could properly recover from the bliss or comprehend what was happening, one last vision slipped into her focus, lingering for longer than all of the others.

It was dark this time, somewhere in the woods surrounding Crystal Lake. There stood that blonde boy, a bit older this time, shaking like a leaf and unable to tear his eyes off of the bloody machete in his hands... Jason's machete. He was surrounded by robed, faceless figures, more than likely members of The Soldiers of Eternal Damnation. A younger Miranda Skinner stood next to the boy, smiling at something on the ground while Lucian took the blade from the boy's still trembling hands,_"You did well, Cody. The payment is more than fair. Now we wait."_

With a startled gasp, Blake collapsed on top of her husband, panting and covered in glistening sweat. Thomas grunted curiously, running his fingers through the girl's hair.

_'Pretty Blake... okay?' _Thomas asked, concern heavy in his mind's voice.

Slowly, Blake nodded, her mind still racing from the visions that she saw. Thomas looked a little uncertain, unable to comprehend what exactly he'd been seeing. Normally, he'd have to be asleep to see any of the things that Blake would see.

_'See something only pretty Blake can see? Share with Thomas? So Thomas see too?' _

"This place... i-it's more powerful t-than I realized..." Blake panted, giving Thomas a soft smile before lightly caressing his powerful chest, "W-while w-we were... well... that... I-I h-had several visions... d-did you see t-them too, Thomas?"

Slowly, Thomas nodded. Blake could feel her gentle giant's chest puff up a little from beneath her, obviously pleased that he had been able to help. Not that he minded, (in fact he'd like to help her more often!) The two of them laid together, basking in each other's warmth in the afterglow of passion. Blake placed her hand over her heart, before resting it over Thomas'. Lightly, Thomas learned forward, kissing the top of his wife's head. They could have stayed like this forever, in absolute bliss, just with each other... alone. However, there was one little problem... they weren't alone...

Meanwhile, Ash made himself quite comfortable in the quaint cabin's living room. Just a small sofa, a coffee table, two armchairs, and a fireplace. The demon killer lounged on the couch, a half-smoked blunt in his real hand while his mechanical hand rubbed a very contented Toby's belly.

"You -cough- know what's going on in there, right?" Ash questioned, glancing down to the German Shepherd, "They're not as quiet as they think they are either. -cough- I hear the moans... and the grunts... what, that guy has gotta be two hundred and fifty pounds? Three hundred? How the fuck do they even do it?"

Such insight from a stoned demon slayer to a dog. Toby groaned contently, his hind leg kicking and twitching involuntarily.

_'Don't remind me... please,' _Tobias' spirit moaned, _'And here I was lamenting that I couldn't actually say "hi" to you... Then I remembered what a blunt and obnoxious ass you could be. Do you really think that I lavish the thought of my sweet little angel getting plowed by that titan?' _

The ghost spoke in a snide tone, the kind he often used during times like this when Blake wasn't around to hear him. When he was alone. However, as Ash inhaled another drag of his joint he looked around the room. The fiend slayer took a moment to rub his eyes, catching the faintest wisp of a transparent figure sitting in the chair across from him. He knew that voice even though he hadn't heard it since the last time he saw Blake. But how-? Then Ash took another look at the blunt in his hand, then back at the armchair.

"Well all you had to do was say something... I'd have heard ya," Ash answered, with a somewhat slurred voice before he realized just what was going on, "Tobias?! Where the hell have you been? I asked Blake about ya but... she... -cough-."

The faint, transparent figure of Tobias McCormick jerked slightly with sudden realization, _'Ash... y-you... you can hear me? See me?!'_

The fiend slayer straightened up, not once taking his eyes off of the familiar ghost sharing his space with him. He wasn't sure if it was some sort of remnants of the Necronomicon... or perhaps the weed... maybe both?

"Y-yeah... I can... but you, ummm... look a little... uh..."

_'Dead?' _Tobias' spirit spat, with disdain, _'Some asshole with a shotgun saw to that.'_

Even through the slight haze in his head, Ash could see the wounds peppering Tobias' chest. He'd made enough bodies with his trusty boomstick to be able to identify the damage caused by a shotgun blast at close range.

"So that's why Blake... she... uh would kinda change the subject whenever you came up, huh? I know y-you two were very close. But... uhhhh... how did you end up like this?"

_'I made a promise that I would never leave her.' _Tobias stated, bluntly, _'When I... was murdered, I don't know how, but I anchored my soul to the thing that was linked closest with my daughter.'_

Before Ash could ask for any sort of clarification, he got the answer he was looking for quite quickly when he felt a cold, wet nose and tickling whiskers push into his hand. He jumped a little with a start, even though it was just Toby wondering where his scratchies had gone. The German Shepherd jumped up on the couch with a soft whine, sitting down but anxiously pawing at Ash's knee.

"Oh my God!" cried Ash, as he tossed the still smoking blunt towards the fireplace while his eyes got wide.

He scooted to the other end of the couch as he regarded the confused but still demanding canine, "D-do you mean to tell me that I've been scratching your-your belly this whole time?!"

Now Tobias just laughed; it wasn't always easy to find amusement in his current state. But that remark got to him.

_'No, no... Toby is simply the mortal vessel I've anchored myself to,' _Tobias clarified, though a mischievous smirk crossed his face, _'It sure felt good, though.'_

For a brief second, a look of horror crossed Ash's face, however, it quickly narrowed into a suspicious glance once the man realized that Tobias' spirit was just taking an opportunity to mess with him now. While he didn't take his eyes off the spirit, the demon killer resumed petting Toby, much to the dog's absolute delight.

"What's going on? How did your kid end up with Big Bubba in there? What's up with the cop car from Travis 'Bum Fuck Nowhere' County Texas? Why would Blake even want to come to this dump?" Ash questioned, each one firing off at a more and more rapid pace, "Doesn't she know about the lunatic in the hockey mask?! Just what in the name of fuck happened to you guys?"

The spirit of Blake's father sighed heavily as he stood up from the seat, or rather, floated, considering the lower half of his legs and feet weren't visible. He looked uncomfortable, perhaps even guilty; the sort of look that a person would get when there was something that they really wanted to say but weren't sure that they should.

_'I-I'm not really sure how much I should say here and now, other than that if you are truly Blake's friend, you'll understand... when she is ready tell you,'_

As much as Tobias thought of Blake as his little girl he knew and understood that she wasn't a child anymore. His daughter had been through Hell and back more than anyone should have ever had to. To share her living nightmares with another, even a mutual friend, without her input, felt wrong.

_'But I will say this... Blake has a strong connection to this place. She will not steer you wrong. As for 'Big Bubba' as you so eloquently put it... give him every reason to want you alive. My daughter is the only semblance of family he has left. Thomas will fight to the death to defend anyone he sees as family... and mercilessly slaughter those who seek to harm them.'_

Before Ash had a chance to ask anything more of the spirit, Tobias' form faded away into thin, wispy tendrils, then vanished completely. This was annoying for two reasons; one, Ash wasn't able to pry for some less cryptic answers. And two; this meant that he was sobering up faster than he would have liked.

Groaning with defeat and leaning back against the old, worn out couch, Ash cast his gaze to the German Shepherd once more. Toby gave a cute, questioning head tilt before lightly scratching the fiend slayer's arm in an attempt to squeeze more attention out of him.

"Hey... hey... Tobias, if you're still in there... you didn't say anything about the impossible to kill hockey mask-wearing zombie that hacks people to pieces with a machete!"

The only answer he'd receive was a low grunt as Toby licked his chops. Now Ash realized that there wasn't much he'd be able to do until Thomas and Blake were through. However, as the demon killer tried to get some enjoyment out of the remaining buzz he had left, it seemed as though it only now truly dawned on him where he was. Where EXACTLY he was... in a cabin... (which he was not at all comfortable in)... in the living room. He'd originally planned on waiting for his two newest companions out in his car.

What compulsion drove him to wait exactly where Blake had... suggested? He didn't even really remember.

There wasn't much time to ponder the thought, as the door to Blake's and Thomas' bedroom creaked open. When the pair emerged, they were both dressed, Thomas wearing his still-stained button down shirt, loose tie, and work trousers while Blake had a pair of black leggings that nicely complemented her small figure, and a lightweight hunting camo short-sleeve flannel shirt that looked to be a size too large. The girl's face reddened when she saw Ash and Toby on the couch, staring at them as though waiting for either one to perform a trick.

"S-sorry to-to keep you waiting..." Blake apologized, shyly.

Despite Ash's willingness to brush it off and that he'd found a way to keep himself occupied, Thomas eyed the other man with great suspicion; the kind of look that was already telling Ash that making friends may prove to be a challenge. Through the leather mask covering his face, the giant of a man inhaled deeply for a moment, glancing around in confusion while trying to pinpoint the source of the odd, foul aroma now wafting throughout the small cabin. One whiff and a stern look at Ash's poorly concealed guilty face was more than enough for Blake to know what was going on. She didn't even have to read his thoughts for this one.

With a short yet happy-sounding bark, Toby bounded off the couch and to his mistress' side. Blake reciprocated her faithful friend's greeting, all the while giving Ash a small, knowing smile and a quirk of her eyebrow.

_'Why bad friend let skunk in pretty Blake's cabin?' _Thomas' mind's voice growled, as he tilted his gaze down towards his mate.

Trying her hardest not to laugh out loud, Blake excused herself to the small kitchen with a very excited Toby dancing around her feet.

"Here... drink this." Blake said, startling Ash from his thoughts as she set a mug of hot, black coffee on the living room table.

Confused, the demon killer wasn't sure what to say as Blake sat down in the chair across from him, mug of coffee in her hand, dog at her side, and Thomas standing guard like a sentinel behind her. Every time Ash so much as shifted, the giant's eyes locked on him, watching until he went still once more.

_'What's all this about?' _Ash found himself wondering, taking a sip.

His eyes widened a little as he let out a surprised cough; that girl certainly knew how to make a strong cup of coffee!

"I... I know w-we got off to a rather rough start last night... b-but I really n-need you sober, Ash." Blake explained, scratching Toby's ears.

The German Shepherd contently licked his chops, having just been fed while his mistress attended to the brewing of the caffeinated dark nectar of the gods. After taking a sip of her own drink, Blake set down her mug and flipped through the pages of her sketchbook.

"A rough start is one way of putting it," Ash replied, with a bit of snark in his tone, "We... we both kinda skipped the 'hey-how-are-yous', 'long time, no sees", and just got right into the demon killing. But you had also mentioned that you had something I needed to see."

Well, he certainly wasn't wrong. (And while the fiend slayer may have left out that moment of weakness when he attempted to flee from his problems, Ash did return when the chips were down and it counted.) Tentatively, Blake handed over her sketchbook, reassuring Thomas that there was nothing to be worried about as she did so. At once, Ash's face went from buzzed and mildly annoyed to serious in a hurry. The demon slayer hastily set down his mug and brought the sketchbook closer, suddenly finding himself sobering up quicker than he thought was physically possible.

"Hey! T-that's him... that's the guy... that's the asshole who-who stole the book from me!" declared Ash, glancing back up to Blake and Thomas, "When did-?"

"J-just a few nights ago... a-after one of my vivid dreams," Blake answered, before Ash could even finish his question, "S-sorry. A-a few nights ago I-I had one of m-my visions a-and drew that after."

She felt somewhat ashamed for speaking over her friend but that sketch had been weighing on her mind ever since she drew it. Saw it. Blake had her suspicions after putting what dots she had together. Now Ash helped her complete that picture... and it wasn't pretty!

"M-might I ask w-what happened?" the psychic questioned.

"I thought you were psychic." Ash countered, with a sly smile.

Thomas let out an irritated growl, taking a half step closer to the demon slayer before Blake stopped him.

_'Annoying bad friend!' _he grunted, narrowing his gaze.

_'Easy, easy sweet giant,' _Blake whispered, mentally before raising an eyebrow in light of the demon slayer's snide comment, "I wasn't aware that you wanted me to sift through all of your nightmares, closeted demons, and sexcipades in order to find what I'm looking for... which would be just as unpleasant for me as it would be for you."

Immediately, the sly smile Ash was sporting dropped into a dumbfounded look of surprise and realization as to just what he'd challenged a genuine psychic to do. His head wasn't exactly a place he enjoyed being... subjecting Blake to his inner most secrets would be nothing short of inhumane. Plus there was plenty in there he'd just rather not advertise. Some dirty laundry just wasn't meant to be aired out. At the very least, Thomas seemed quite satisfied as he let out a grunting snort of laughter.

"G-good point." Ash admitted, clearing his throat while he stood up and paced the small living room, sketchbook still in hand, "I uh... made a few subtle attempts to find someone who could translate the book. Very hush-hush."

Of course, Blake knew Ash was embellishing his story... absolutely nothing about how that man did anything was "subtle".

"I-I wanted to get rid of it once and for all. Keep in mind, I've tried burning it, tearing pages out, running over it with the Delta, submerging it it water and then running it over, shooting it with the boomstick, even my trusty chainsaw... no matter what I did, I couldn't destroy it with what I had," Ash explained, solemnly, "That damn thing has plagued me for thirty years, it has no place in this world. I-I thought if the right passage could be read, I'd finally be rid of it for good. This asshole," he emphasized, pointing at the sketch, "This little shit contacted me. Told me that he was an expert in the occult. We talked for a good long while before we finally agreed to meet a-and then... t-then..."

The demon killer hesitated to tell the rest of the story, but Blake had already pieced together from their prior encounter at the S. Mart what happened. Alcohol and drugs were involved, Ash became completely incapacitated, and by the time he sobered up, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis was gone.

"I-I don't know much a-about the thief... o-other then that he wasn't entirely lying when he told you he was an expert on the occult," Blake started, "B-but what I do know... i-is that his name i-is Cody a-and that-that he's a-a member of The Soldiers of Eternal Damnation."

"Hey, he told me that his name was Chuck Finley!" Ash snorted, roughly setting Blake's sketchbook down on the coffee table with a slight bout of frustration, "Soldiers of Eternal Damnation? Those fuckers are still running around? Anyways... I followed the destruction and news reports of what appeared to be deadite attacks and it eventually led me to this God-forsaken place. Now I told you what happened to me... it's your turn, kiddo. Why did you come here? To Camp Blood?! There's something far worse than any deadite lurking in these woods!"

Taking in a deep breath, having great hatred of that nickname, Blake steeled herself; Ash deserved to know the truth. Especially if he was willing to put his very life and soul on the line.

"Camp Crystal Lake is like a second home to me," she said, "As for Jason Voorhees, I have no reason to fear him."

Ash couldn't stop the disbelieving scoff that left his mouth. He laughed for a minute, thinking that perhaps the psychic was attempting to pull a fast one on him, "Ha! That's a good one!"

When the fiend slayer realized that he was the only one laughing, he stopped, looking Blake dead in the eye, "Wait, you're serious?"

_'Here I thought I was still kinda high. Still am... But what's this kid on?'_

"Jason Voorhees... saved my life many years ago when I was a child. H-he's my-my friend." Blake confessed.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

**Author's Notes:: **

Okay, so about this chapter. Blake is finally left with no choice but to spill the beans about Mr. Krueger. (Thomas already knew, after all.) And of course, since I wanted something nice and spicy in this chapter, Blake actually does the nasty at Crystal Lake, despite the taboo. However, since I didn't just want sex for sex's sake, I thought it'd be fun to sprinkle in some visions.

And of course, good ol' Ash walking in on them... talk about awkward!

Now, for Mr. Williams, I figured that he's seen/interacted with ethereal undead before (In Ash vs Evil Dead he spoke with the spirit of his father.) So, since Ash is also very fond of his "illicit recreational activities", he'd have a moment where he finally learns what happened to Tobias.

So, just how well is the fiend slayer going to take learning about Blake's and Jason's friendship? Will Thomas just snap and try to remove Ash from the field to assure that his nightmare will never come true? And what other slimy, rotting skeletons lurk in their respective closets?

By the way, the "Chuck Finley" reference, that was a play on Burn Notice. Sam Axe (who was also played by Bruce Campbell) used Chuck Finley as his alias, so I couldn't resist. Have I mentioned how much I love Bruce Campbell?

**Disclaimer:: I do not claim to own The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Ash Vs Evil Dead, or Nightmare on Elm Street or any of their Characters. The references to Jason Voorhees and Lisa Voorhees are from Lady_Voorhees' story, The Strange Good Girl. **


End file.
